WORLD WIDE WEBB
“What is there left to say on the climate emergency? Extreme weather events across the globe must by now have removed any doubt that global warming is real and that it’s caused by humans. If we can at least agree on that, perhaps there’s still hope for slowing the rate of warming and for a unified effort at mitigating the impacts of a changing climate. Things that reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, for example. Surely, we can agree that environmentally friendly biofuels are at least part of the solution? Or can we?”
~ John Webb, Executive Producer
Military Murder Mystery
It’s February in Pretoria. Two young men, apparently mistaken for intruders near the home of a high-ranking army officer, disappear. According to witnesses, the men were allegedly assaulted by soldiers guarding the house – all while two senior South African Defence Force officers purportedly stood by. Three low-ranking soldiers are arrested and charged with kidnapping and assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm. Neither senior officer is ever arrested. While the case is postponed for further investigation, families grieve. But will they ever learn the truth behind their loved ones’ disappearance and supposed death? Carte Blanche investigates a case of selective prosecution and asks: could army generals be implicated in a cover-up?
Producer: Graham Coetzer | Presenter: Derek Watts
Durban Water Disaster
Sewage running down the streets, eventually ending up in the ocean. People are getting sick. Tourism is suffering. Carte Blanche goes undercover to expose the source of escalating contamination that’s causing fish kills and threatening Durban’s recovery from the crippling April floods and mudslides that killed 459 people. Excessively high E. coli counts have rendered many beaches off-limits, potentially crippling the region’s economy. In a tale of ageing infrastructure, limited resources, and lacklustre management we expose the staggering lack of planning and foresight in this coastal city teetering on the edge.
Producer: Nicky Troll | Presenter: Macfarlane Moleli
Biofuel for Thought
Every time we fill up our cars, take a flight, or turn on a light, we’re doing it with energy made from fossil fuels. While it shaped humankind’s progress, it’s also contributed to the decimation of the environment. Floods, droughts, heatwaves, and hurricanes prove that climate change is out of control. Yet we still we pump greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. Are there viable alternative technologies available to stop the ecological carnage? Carte Blanche revisits the biofuels debate; its disciples say it has the potential to help cut down on fossil fuels and reduce emissions. They also emphasise the job creation possibilities while gobbling up used cooking oil, and animal and organic waste – the cheap and abundant feedstocks used to produce biofuels. With rising pressure to reduce carbon emissions, is South Africa missing a biofuel opportunity to help meet climate and energy targets?
Producer: Hein Kaiser | Presenter: Derek Watts
Of Music and Friendship
Nestled below snow-capped mountains, the Drakensberg Boys Choir School has an international reputation for its fine choral performances. Boys who are fortunate enough to pass an audition also step into a school that sets out to build a culture of equality and brotherhood. Carte Blanche meets two boys – one from the gang-infested streets of Mitchells Plain, the other from another school where he endured relentless bullying – who have now forged a special friendship. In the unique setting of the Berg, they are not only nurturing their musical gift but also a friendship that’s brought healing and proven anything’s possible.
Producer: Liz Fish | Presenter: Claire Mawisa
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The Wrong Man?
He was convicted of raping his daughter. But now, she’s recanted her evidence that landed him behind bars. So, did rape ever take place?
Kidfluencers
They’re the latest internet sensation – called kidfleuncers, these young children have mass appeal online and they’re raking in the big bucks.
Weaponizing the Police
YOUR RIGHTS EXPLAINED BY LEGAL EXPERT ELTON HART
Arrested on an allegation with no corroborating evidence, then locked up in one of SA’s most notorious prisons… Are police being used to settle personal scores?
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Legacy Issues
Two South African men are wanted by the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service. Having taught at some of Britain’s most prestigious boarding schools, they have now been charged with a slew of sexual assault offences – dating back over 40 years – involving schoolboys as young as nine. The men were arrested in Cape Town in 2019, where they are living out their retirement while resisting extradition. Carte Blanche investigates the rules governing extradition in their case and reveals the brutal traditions of violence, sexual abuse, bullying, and secrecy that allowed generations of boys to suffer. We speak to men who were targeted and brutalised as boys and have now blown the lid on the posh education system that promised to set them up for life. Instead, it left them deeply scarred, with parents often unwilling to let their complaints get in the way of academic and social progress.
[FROM THE ARCHIVES] Polar Bear Clash
It was a shocking and disturbing conflict as the poster child for climate change was forced to forage for food far away from home. Carte Blanche tracks the journey of a documentary team in Greenland caught up in a dramatic clash with a hungry polar bear that forced open a window and tried to drag one of their colleagues outside. Rarely seen on this stretch of coast in the short arctic summer, the sea ice is now retreating so fast that several bears remain stranded on the mainland, separated from the seals that are their normal prey. Despite their majestic form and hunting prowess, polar bears have long been up against pollution and habitat destruction from oil and gas exploration in the arctic. But it is climate change that’s bringing it to its knees.
Please note: Carte Blanche line-ups are subject to change. Stories can be viewed at www.carteblanche.co.za
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