WORLD WIDE WEBB
“In the 90s, while covering the armed rebellion in eastern DRC, I stood at the edge of Lake Kivu in Goma waiting to board a ferry. It would take me and several hundred other people to Bukavu further along the water. The night was sweaty, the mosquitoes excitable, and the port crumbling and chaotic. The ferry, rusty and listing disconcertingly, was nothing like the ones depicted on old posters dotted about the place. While Rustenburg’s Yarona has nice, new buses I can’t help thinking its commuters feel a little like I did on that miserable night.” – John Webb, Executive Producer
An Unusual Suspect
Tsomo, Cofimvaba, Nqamkwe, eNgcobo – iconic small towns in the Eastern Cape where hardware stores, critical to the local economy, say they’re under siege. The demand is simple, “stop delivering goods to your customers or else!” The extortion has quickly spread from one village to the next… a new type of criminal syndicate strongarming the owners into getting rid of their own staff so that a mysterious group called Masiphathisane (let’s take care of each other) can take over deliveries. As breadwinners are forced out of jobs, the extortion has escalated, with delivery vehicles that don’t comply being stoned and burned. Carte Blanche confronts the unlikely mastermind behind this reign of terror.
Producer: Sipha Kema | Presenter: Masa Kekana
Putting the Bus(t) in Bus Stop
Yarona will take you there! This was the promise made by Rustenburg’s Local Municipality. But the bus rapid transport (BRT) system has been a work in progress for 15 years, at an estimated cost of R3.5 billion. But that’s not all: another R1.5 billion has been set aside to get the “buy-in” of local taxi operators. Carte Blanche finds stations now collapsed and vandalised before they were ever used. Concrete bus routes, covered in weeds, are expensive footpaths for pedestrians and the occasional cow. Another failure in the provision of affordable public transport? Or is the taxi industry holding Rustenburg to ransom?
Producer: Anina Peens| Derek Watts
Medical Xenophobia
Abandoned, abused, and exploited in a place of care. After sporadic verbal attacks by politicians and more violent ones by self-styled vigilantes, Carte Blanche re-examines what the Constitution and health laws say about emergency and maternal care for foreigners in local hospitals. Despite humane policies, xenophobia has found a new target and it’s affecting the most vulnerable: children and expectant mothers. It’s violating the joy of foreign-born women bringing new life into the world through an often-cruel reception and demands for payment. This is the ugly scourge of medical xenophobia and obstetric violence in SA hospitals.
Producer: Sophia Phirippides | Presenter: Claire Mawisa
Mammabearsteffs
Behind the decks her grey hair is backlit by laser lights. She whoops at the crowd and the dancing masses go wild! They can’t get enough of DJ Mammabearsteffs. It was to honour her late son’s dream of becoming a professional DJ that Joy Steffens decided on a life spinning the decks. Dylan died of cancer in 2016, just as he was about to go to music school. Now 62 years old, music is helping Joy heal and stay connected with her son – while also propelling her into a new, loud life. And, to her surprise, audiences have embraced her. Carte Blanche meets Joy as she gets onto the big stage at the annual H2O Party with its thousands of partygoers. At a time when her peer group is planning the end of their careers, Joy is at the beginning of a whole new one. How do we keep learning and living passionately over 60?
Producer: Tarryn Crossman | Presenter: Masa Kekana
PODCAST EXCLUSIVES
EXTRA! Peter Major on Deadly Coal Trucks
By now, many of you have probably seen the viral videos showing how massive coal tipper trucks plough through bakkies, taxis and other trucks. So, why has there been such a dramatic increase in road accidents involving these behemoths? And is it too late to find a workable solution? Mining expert Peter Major shares his thoughts.
Pick of the Week
Some of Britain’s most exclusive schools are shrouded in secrecy as two South African men face multiple charges of sexual abuse. What will it take for survivors to find closure?
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Deadly Coal Run
War in Ukraine has created an energy crisis in Europe that has dramatically increased the price of export coal. As coal transporters cash in on the boom, South African road users are paying with their lives.
[FROM THE ARCHIVES] Forever Diamonds
With estimated returns of over 50 to 100 percent, controversial Gauteng diamond dealer, Louis Liebenberg, has lured a string of investors to buy into his dreams of selling Namaqualand diamonds at vast profits. Carte Blanche investigates how several unsuspecting South Africans, who invested millions into the mouth-watering scheme, were short-changed as the extravagant promises came to nought.
Please note: Carte Blanche line-ups are subject to change. Stories can be viewed at www.carteblanche.co.za
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