Gangland Fairy Tales: Watch Carte Blanche, this Sunday 1 August 2021 at 19:00, only on M-Net
I N V E S T I G A T E
Wentworth Heroin War
In May, the independent civil society Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime reported that capsulised heroin had transformed the illicit drug market in Durban – with deadly effect in the port city and beyond. Carte Blanche goes undercover in gang-riddled Wentworth where heroin capsules at rock-bottom prices have flooded the market and fuelled an all-out turf war in which competing dealers take out the opposition in ruthless drive-by shootings. As a community is left crippled and at the mercy of violent gangs, we investigate what’s really inside the pills that have taken an addiction-devastated community’s fight for survival to new depths.
Producer: Nicky Troll | Presenter: Macfarlane Moleli
Derek Watts: “It’s difficult to argue with the SA Post Office trying to bring the SOE into the 21st Century with bold changes. But financial woes, a shocking reputation and union intervention ARE making it difficult to foresee the new Group CEO successfully implementing her grand schemes.”
Delivering the Future
Declared commercially insolvent by the Auditor General in March, and with a multibillion-rand government bail-out three years ago, the story of the South African Post Office is one of inefficiency, mismanagement and overspending. But with a presence in nearly every town, and one of the oldest state-owned enterprises in the country, is the Post Office an obsolete relic from a bygone era, or a strategically-placed giant set to cash in on lucrative e-commerce deals as the Fourth Industrial Revolution demands a radical overhaul of communication and delivery? Carte Blanche sits down for a one-on-one with the newly-appointed CEO Nomkhita Mona.
Producer: Annalise Lubbe | Presenter: Derek Watts
Farmers at the End of Their Tether
The importance of the agricultural sector cannot be over-estimated in the South African economy as it contributes to household food security and employment. Experts stress the need for comprehensive farmer support and innovative financing solutions without which both upcoming and established farmers would find it hard to survive the calamitous extended drought that’s now gripped the country for close on a decade. Carte Blanche investigates how farmers in the Bultfontein District in the Free State have been brought to their knees by the drought, without state support and faced with seemingly unsympathetic financial institutions. Several farmers have already lost the battle and have been sequestrated and others, in desperation, are falling prey to dubious money lenders bent on scamming them out of their last remaining funds.
Producer: Eugene Botha | Presenter: Macfarlane Moleli
I N S P I R E
Masa Kekana: “It was a heart-warming experience working on this story. It showed that, with the right interventions and support, no social challenges could ever hold this youngster back. Truly an inspiration for us all in these turbulent times.”
A Gangland Fairy Tale
From gang-infested Bonteheuwel on the Cape Flats, where drug wars and random killings limit the choices and futures of young people, comes a story of inspiration and beating overwhelming odds to realise a virtually impossible dream. At the age of eight, Tamika van As has become the 2021 Juvenile South African National Figure Skating Champion. Carte Blanche tracks the origins of her dreams and development despite seemingly insurmountable challenges.
Producer: Anina Peens | Presenter: Masa Kekana
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