“Is there a more appropriate – or more sinister – metaphor for the state of the country right now than a deadly cholera outbreak just spitting distance from the Union Buildings? Unless something more complex (climate change-related, perhaps) is at play, it would appear the dead and sick are victims not only of waterborne bacteria but also corruption and political posturing.” – John Webb, Executive Producer
Finger-pointing in a Time of Cholera
It’s a bacterial disease that causes severe diarrhoea and dehydration in patients. If left untreated, it can be fatal. Cholera is usually spread through contaminated water and is rarely found in developing countries with proper sanitation systems – countries like South Africa. But when several people in Hammanskraal – a stone’s throw from the country’s administrative capital, Pretoria – became violently ill and died, it became clear that the city had a deadly outbreak on its hands. Now, at least 20 people, including a three-year-old toddler, are dead. But this is a tragedy that’s been decades in the making and, despite a desperate bid via the Pretoria High Court to force the municipality to provide clean and safe drinking water, residents are now paying the ultimate price for government’s failures.
Producer: Nicky Troll | Presenter: Claire Mawisa
Wild, Wild West(bury)
It’s a neighbourhood beset by gangs, guns and drugs; Westbury has been under siege for decades. The Johannesburg suburb is home to multiple violent gangs operating with impunity, and community members are caught in the crossfire. Early this year, violence erupted in the community when an alleged gang leader was shot dead, forcing a heavy police presence in the area. But that hasn’t stopped the violence or the gangs. Carte Blanche visits Westbury to investigate why it has become a gangster’s paradise.
Producer: Tebadi Mmotla | Presenter: Erin Bates
Stairway to Hell
Staircases on council properties across the Cape Flats are falling apart – something the City of Cape Town acknowledged three years ago, declaring them in need of urgent attention and awarding a contract to a successful bidder. But the contract was unceremoniously cancelled just four months later. The City’s own investigation into its housing maintenance department allegedly uncovered R300 million worth of irregular expenditure. At the centre of it all: lucrative construction contracts fought over by feuding brothers-in-law. Bribes, death threats, a kidnapping, and a Hawks investigation leading to multiple arrests then followed. But the forensic report that could hold all the answers was suppressed by the municipality. Is there something the City of Cape Town is trying to hide?
Producer: Liz Fish | Presenter: Masa Kekana
Wheelchair Boxer
A hairdresser by day, a boxing champion in the making by night: Tony Toush Adebayo Adesanya is a man who won’t let life beat him down. Tony has had to use a wheelchair for most of his life after a battle with polio as a child left him with a severely weakened leg. But these challenges haven’t stopped him from becoming a competitive wheelchair sprinter, mid-distance contestant, and champion weightlifter. Now, he’s setting his sights on becoming South Africa’s first-ever wheelchair boxing champion.
Producer: Hamilton Wende | Presenter: Macfarlane Moleli
CARTE BLANCHE: THE PODCAST
Mothers, Mayors & Maintenance
He was proudly endorsed by his mother… Masa Kekana and Ferial Haffajee chat about Joburg’s current mayor, Kabelo Gwamanda. Then, the Russian debacle continues, and we celebrate a big win for maintenance courts.
Saving N/uu
Of about 7 000 languages spoken worldwide, at least 25 disappear every year. And with each one, irreplaceable heritage and culture is lost. Now, one extraordinary 90-year-old is working to keep traces of her N/uu language alive.
PICKS OF THE WEEK
Rogue Responders
She’s known as the leader of a so-called band of ‘vigilante’ first responders. But with just a basic first aid training certificate, how has one woman in Gauteng been able to successfully masquerade as a paramedic?
FROM THE ARCHIVES
Sewer Zama Zamas
Imagine having to dive into Johannesburg’s sewers to find hidden treasure. That’s the life of a sewer Zama Zama as they dig through sewage for survival. Macfarlane Moleli goes underground to find out more.
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