“Meiringspoort is breathtaking, and its closure is a blow to people who consider it their preferred passage into the Garden Route: nothing like a winding mountain pass through sheer sandstone cliffs to break the monotony of an otherwise flat Klein Karoo. But the communities surrounding it surely have little time to ponder the impact of the May storms on the area’s aesthetics; their lives and livelihoods have been thrown into turmoil.” – John Webb, Executive Producer
Meiringspoort: Pass to Nowhere
It’s a spectacular gateway through towering sandstone cliffs, an iconic tourist route – and the only direct link between communities living on either side of the Swartberg Mountains. So, when devastating floods washed away sections of road and closed Meiringspoort, they severed a lifeline. Jobs lost, lives disrupted, livelihoods threatened: it’s become clear just how dependent the region is on a single mountain pass. Now, isolated communities are picking up the pieces – and seeking new opportunities amidst the destruction.
Producer: Anina Peens | Presenter: Govan Whittles
Selling the Atlantic Seaboard
Two decades ago, Carte Blanche toured Cape Town’s Atlantic Seaboard as it transformed from modest seaside suburb to luxury property hotspot. We asked: will the effort to create a magnet for high-end property investment turn this coastline into a playground for the super-rich? Today, as celebrities buy private palaces for hundreds of millions, it’s time to go back and find out what twenty years of unchecked appetite is creating. Who is Cape Town really for? And will the Mother City recognise itself once the dust has settled?
Producer: Marion Edmunds | Presenter: Erin Bates
Defying Gravity
They sprint across rooftops, launch themselves over concrete walls, and leap impossible gaps. If you’ve heard of parkour, you might think it’s little more than an extreme sport fuelled by adrenaline and social media. But beneath the spectacular jumps is a movement built on discipline, resilience and community. And it’s quietly transforming lives. Meet a community bound by the belief that every obstacle has a solution – a belief that’s taking them all the way to Hollywood.
Producer: Sinethemba Nogude | Presenter: Erin Bates
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