WORLD WIDE WEBB
“Land reform is a contentious, divisive issue in our country. It’s probably also fair to say successive governments have either mismanaged, underplayed or ignored the issue entirely. That has been to the detriment of landowners and investors anxious for policy certainty, as well the people dispossessed of, and denied access to, land by decades of apartheid-era governance. Now, we uncover another sign of government’s apparent intransigence: the gross mismanagement of agricultural colleges tasked with training a new generation of commercial farmers.”
~ John Webb, Executive Producer
Aggrieved
Come one, come all – that was the rallying cry to students wanting to train at one of the country’s 11 agricultural colleges. State-funded and equipped with high-tech gear, the colleges promise hands-on practical training in every aspect of farming. They also offer placements and integrated learning programmes, a major advantage for students looking for work experience. But what’s promised on paper hasn’t materialised in practise. Once enrolled, students are faced with a stark and altogether different reality: dilapidated buildings, abandoned laboratories, and lecturers in short supply. In the cockroach-infested kitchen, the fridges are bare, there’s no running water, and the facilities are dirty. But how is this possible when millions of rands of taxpayers’ money are spent on these colleges? Carte Blanche investigates.
Producer: Anina Peens | Presenter: Macfarlane Moleli
Jagersfontein Disaster
Jagersfontein, a small town in the Free State, is home to the oldest open-pit diamond mine in South Africa. In this little-known community, Sunday mornings usually start slowly, but on 11 September, that changed. A dam, used to store waste from the Jagersfontein diamond mine, collapsed, triggering heavy flooding that left death and destruction in its wake. More than 70 people were injured, local farmers lost livestock, and at least 60 homes were damaged by the flood waters. But residents here say that the mine owners were warned on numerous occasions about the danger posed by this tailings dam. Carte Blanche investigates.
Producer: Sinethemba Nogude | Journalist: Laura Byrne | Presenter: Claire Mawisa
The Golden Girls
It’s an Olympic sport, although not one that’s celebrated with much fanfare. But for three South African seniors – aged 60, 70 and 80 – race-walking is what gives them an impressive zest for life. Each walked away with gold medals at the World Master’s Athletics Championships in Finland this year, making up six of the ten gold medals won by the South African team. In an era where the value of age is often eclipsed by the charisma of youth, these women aren’t looking to any fountain to defy the march of time. Carte Blanche took on our gold-winning champions.
Producer: Marion Edmunds | Research: Siniketiwe Hlanze | Presenter: Macfrlane Moleli
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Marikana’s Long Shadow
Thirty-four miners are shot and killed by police in Marikana. Now, a decade later, never-before-seen documents reveal how the police failed to act against 77 officers allegedly involved in the torture and assault of miners in the area.
Champions of Africa!
Theirs was the Cinderella story for the ages. With almost no financial support, Banyana Banyana rose to become giants of Africa. But can their WAFCON cup victory finally turn their fortunes around?
Rocky Road
INCLUDES EXCLUSIVE PRODUCER COMMENTARY!
Rocks, road spikes, and armed criminals lurking in the darkness… The N4 between Pretoria and Rustenburg is a dangerous stretch of road. Are police powerless to prevent attacks?
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The Wrong Man?
It was a startling hand-drawn image that led to a tragic sequence of events for the Raaths family. Within months, father Abrie Raaths stood accused of raping his then-eight-year-old daughter, Megan. She now claims to have been coerced into testifying against him. Despite his daughter recanting her original testimony, Raaths was sentenced to life in prison. Now, an astonishing case is unfolding in the Pretoria High Court in which a new investigation by the Department of Social Development could help exonerate a man who’s spent eight years languishing in a maximum security prison. Carte Blanche asks: what does Raaths’ battle to have his sentence overturned reveal about similar allegations levelled against six other men?
Follow the Manganese Road
Toxic black manganese dust, blasted from the iconic Kalahari Basin and trucked in vast amounts to the Gqebertha Port, it’s a poison hidden in plain sight. This is a story of dividends, dust, and disease. South Africa is the world’s largest exporter of manganese, an abundant trace mineral found in the Northern Cape. It is a key component in paints, glass, dry-cell batteries, and steel. But exposure to high levels of manganese can cause serious health problems and environmental damage. From Hotazel to Gqeberha, we follow hundreds of trucks that travel up and down the Manganese Road and explore the research of the miners with Parkinsonian symptoms. We also meet a mine contractor who’s been diagnosed with Manganism. Down in the Eastern Cape, as the trucks come rumbling into town, smothering it in a layer of soot, locals are asking whether the growing manganese rush is making Nelson Mandela Bay and its people sick. Carte Blanche unpacks another possible case of profits before people and asks: why is everyone from politicians to models jumping on the manganese bandwagon?
Please note: Carte Blanche line-ups are subject to change. Stories can be viewed at www.carteblanche.co.za
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