“Critics of the NPA’s recent track record have decried the failure of its top officials to answer to their failures. We’re very proud of our collaboration with amaBhungane as, for what may be the first time, feet are genuinely held to the fire. No longer should South Africans be duped by (to borrow from a certain former president’s favourite soliloquy) the ‘sound and fury’ that has to date ‘signified nothing’.” – John Webb, Executive Producer
Claim No Easy Victories
In 2019, Shamila Batohi returned from The Hague to lead our National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). During the Zuma presidency, the once-proud NPA had been hollowed out by state capture; Batohi was a welcome appointment who promised to restore the organisation and ensure speedy convictions of state capture perpetrators. The same year, former prosecutor Hermione Cronje returned to head up the NPA’s sharp end: the Investigating Directorate (ID) which would investigate, arrest and prosecute state capture and complex financial crimes. Batohi and Cronje: two powerful women with the same aim. But within two years, Cronje left for a second time. Since then, the NPA has made several high-profile arrests, but the progress on state capture cases is dismal, and crucial ones have been struck from the roll. Is the NPA still in crisis, despite angry denials from current leadership? Carte Blanche, in association with amaBhungane, looks at what has gone wrong at the National Prosecuting Authority.
Producer: Joy Summers | Presenter: Susan Comrie
The Historian
On any given afternoon in the Botanical Gardens, visitors may spot one of Johannesburg’s rare sights. Sometimes it’s an Inca warrior or an Ottoman trader. But on really good days, it’s a Crusader patrolling the forests. Gareth Sephton is a unique character with a passion for history, and he’s decided to literally put himself in the shoes of those who lived before us to experience what life was like in a bygone era. Gareth believes history is more than just memorising a string of facts: it’s a sensory experience, and he’s not afraid to immerse himself in the textures and tastes of any era. Dog walkers may be confused by his attire, but for children at a local primary school and the elderly at a nearby retirement home, Gareth teaches and entertains in equal measure. A delightful story about what might happen when you let your imagination run free.
Producer: Kate Barry | Presenter: Govan Whittles
CARTE BLANCHE: THE PODCAST
Lying by Omission?
The President’s Phala Phala predicament continues. Later, is honesty the best policy when it comes to Members of Parliament? Also, Table Mountain’s crime problem makes headlines again. Then, vapers beware – new proposed laws causes some serious blowback. And Olympics in South Africa? Gayton says, “Yes!” But first, how the mighty have fallen… We look at the case against Danny Jordaan
PICKS OF THE WEEK
Kidnapping Crisis
In many parts of the country, criminal syndicates are abducting mostly foreign businesspeople and demanding ransom for their safe return. It’s an alarming trend and, increasingly, South Africans are also becoming targets. In parts of the Eastern Cape, kidnappings have reached crisis point with some security experts estimating that at least two people are taken every week. And it could be days, sometimes weeks, before they’re released – and that’s if they’re released. On an assignment notable for the number of people too terrified to appear on camera, we headed to one of the province’s major kidnapping hotspots – Qonce (formerly King William’s Town).
BELA Bill: The Debate
In November, thousands of protesters gathered at the Voortrekker Monument in Pretoria to protest the controversial Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill. This after President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Bill into law in September, while also recommending that two crucial sections of the Bill be reviewed. Now, two months into the three-month consultation period around sections of the BELA Act, opinions continue to be divided as the future of basic education seemingly hangs in the balance. As time runs out for concerned parties to find a middle ground, will Ramaphosa sign the remaining controversial sections into law?
BELA Bill FAQ with Section27
We sit down with Emihle Majikija, a legal researcher at Section27, to better understand the Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill. She tries to answer some of your burning questions, focusing on Clauses 4 and 5 of the Bill which have sparked heated debate. Is the BELA Bill a war on Afrikaans, as some claim? Are the reactions from various organisations justified? And what about other aspects of the Bill that have been largely overlooked? We unpack the key issues, explore the implications for language policy in schools, and shed light on the broader context of education reform in South Africa.
Mathews Phosa: Witness to Power
Mathews Phosa has been at the forefront of South Africa’s political landscape for decades. In 1985, as a young activist and ANC comrade, Phosa fled the apartheid regime and went into exile where he would become one of the commanders in umKhonto weSizwe. Later, he trained in counterintelligence and weapons handling in East Germany. He was one of the first ANC members to return to South Africa to prepare the way for negotiations. He became the first premier of Mpumalanga during the presidency of Nelson Mandela. A close ally to Madiba, under Thabo Mbeki, Phosa was pushed to the sidelines, falsely accused of being involved in a ‘plot’ to overthrow President Mbeki. Phosa would later become the Treasurer-General of the ANC during Jacob Zuma’s turbulent administration. In his new book, Witness to Power, Phosa pulls back the veil on some of the most crucial political moments in South Africa’s history. Carte Blanche sits down with the veteran politician who still seems reluctant to reveal the true extent of everything he knows.
NEWS & VIEWS
Zuko Nonxuba Struck Off the Roll
In December 2015, investigative journalist, Sabelo Skiti, stumbled upon a story about a well-known lawyer in the Eastern Cape claiming to be fighting the good fight for children born with disabilities in the province’s poorer communities. The lawyer’s name is Zuko Nonxuba and, despite Skiti’s extensive reporting, it would take another nine years before Nonxuba would be held to account.
Watch the multi-part investigation
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