“It’s a grim reality that ours is not a country short of scamsters. Nor, it seems, is there a limit to the depths to which they’ll sink to enrich themselves. But surely even the most hardened Ponzi schemer or 419er would baulk at the idea of defrauding a deceased estate?” ~ John Webb, Executive Producer
Cooking the Books
In the leafy suburbs of Pretoria, there’s a growing tide of mistrust and frustration as a once-respected chartered accountant finds herself in the midst of a forensic investigation. Her disheartened clients allege disturbing delays and puzzling bank withdrawals in the winding up of deceased estates. The investigator is sifting through mountains of paperwork and bank accounts, tracking transactions that link this sophisticated, jet-setting professional and her bookkeeper to a web of hidden irregularities. These allegedly include forged signatures and stolen identities, mysterious changes in company papers and unexplained cash withdrawals and deposits. But this alleged scamster wasn’t just taking from any client: she seemingly targeted those at their most vulnerable – long-time clients and friends dealing with the passing of a loved one. While both the accountant and the bookkeeper have gone to ground, they blame each other for the crimes and misdemeanours of which they stand accused. Carte Blanche investigates.
Producer: Marion Edmunds | Presenter: Govan Whittles
Cyber Pirates
It’s cheap, easy to use and allows users illegal access to thousands of hours of premium television content at a fraction of the price. But consumer beware: connecting these dodgy devices to your home Wi-Fi network could leave you vulnerable to cybercriminals. International criminal networks are infiltrating South African homes via unsecured devices. From resellers to super-dealers and server owners, Carte Blanche traces the overseas piracy networks that are allowing cybercriminals entry into South African homes.
Producer: Nicky Troll | Presenter: Masa Kekana
Healthcare Reimagined
In Johannesburg, medical specialists and doctors are reimagining how to provide quality healthcare services to their patients. They’re throwing out the old model of allowing big private institutions and public facilities to dictate how they care for their patients. Instead, doctors are rolling up their sleeves and backing themselves, becoming active stakeholders in building medical facilities for the future. Training a new generation of specialists, the Johannesburg Surgical Hospital is a cutting-edge medical centre where a group of determined doctors is creating a legacy of healing, innovation and hope in the heart of the country’s biggest metro.
Producer: Floris Kotze | Presenter: Claire Mawisa
CARTE BLANCHE: THE PODCAST
Counting the Human Cost
As the war in Gaza continues, we look at the inexcusable human cost on both sides. Then, the fight against corruption continues but is government even in our corner? Later, Transnet has gone off the rails and another bailout is probably not the best solution. And hold onto hope and celebrate the beauty of South Africa as we wrap things up with a few green shoots.
AmaPanyaza
Peacekeepers, force multipliers, or a Premier’s private army? Hastily deployed with training still in progress and now accused of brutal assault. We investigate how Gauteng’s Crime Prevention Wardens might become a law unto themselves.
PICKS OF THE WEEK
The Last Train Out
Trucks thunder down the roads parallel to the main train lines… What happened to the thriving rail services and the towns that serviced this line?
Not So Qute?
He’s a popular figure in his community and a well-known pharmacist in Gauteng. Now under investigation for allegedly trading codeine on the black market, we find out what he’s been hiding.
AWARD-WINNING STORIES
Finding Zuko Nonxuba
In April this year, Carte Blanche investigated a lawyer from the Eastern Cape allegedly stealing millions of rands from children with cerebral palsy. Under the pretence of helping their mothers claim medical negligence damages from the Department of Health, he used their cases – and sometimes even fictitious ones – to claim the money and left the families with nothing. In the second leg of our investigation, we uncover how the lawyer‘s alleged malfeasance has been known about for years by the Legal Practice Council (LPC). The LPC is responsible for ensuring that legal representatives act in an ethical manner for the benefit of their clients. But time and again, it appears to have failed to stop this lawyer’s fraud. Just how far would he go to allegedly steal from vulnerable children? And why did the LPC apparently fail to act?
Decades of War
A decades-long war has turned innocent children into child soldiers. Not in the DRC or Sudan, but in Majola, Port St. Johns. Groomed to defend their homes and avenge loved ones lost in the terror, childhood friends and relatives have become sworn enemies. Homes have been torched, people hacked to pieces with pangas. Now, sleeping in the forests and mountains has become the norm for these Eastern Cape children, security and warm bed foreign concepts as they trek to safety under the cover of darkness. Carte Blanche investigates what lies behind this 50-year war between a cluster of villages… with no end in sight.
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