“It’s been said many times before but, while watching the umpteenth story of alleged corruption on Sunday night, imagine a South Africa in which the innovation that goes into these criminal schemes was channelled into the public good.” – John Webb, Executive Produce
Taken for a Ride
In the Free State, a small-town mayor is racking up the kilometres on expensive car rentals and exorbitant fuel costs while taxpayers foot the bill. In Nketoana Municipality, Mayor Mamiki Mokoena is under investigation for spending thousands of rands on fuel and rental vehicles, despite strong evidence that wherever she was going had nothing to do with her actual responsibilities. Across the municipality, several multi-million rand infrastructure tenders are almost at a standstill. In just one month this year, she reportedly travelled close to 7000 kilometres in a rented luxury 4X4. But when last did she inspect any of these critical municipal projects? So, where was the mayor travelling to? It’s a story of abuse of power told through the odometer, and the numbers simply don’t add up.
Producer: Harri Vithi | Presenter: Govan Whittles
Komani in the Dark
Komani (formerly Queenstown) in the Eastern Cape was once a thriving community. But for years, the Enoch Mgijima Municipality has been in crisis. Komani’s infrastructure is rapidly deteriorating while the municipality racks up millions in fruitless expenditures. In 2019, the municipality was placed under administration which should’ve stopped the decline. But today, Komani is a shadow of its former glory as some areas – including the provincial hospital – endure weeks without power. Since 2020, the municipality’s Eskom debt has skyrocketed from R350 million to R1.4 billion, meaning a large portion of its funds are consumed by debt repayment and staff salaries, and very little is left for critical service delivery. As National Treasury approves a billion-rand bailout for the municipality, can Komani be saved?
Producer: Sasha Schwendenwein | Presenter: Masa Kekana
Chasing the Sun
It was a science experiment born out of necessity. A group of Stellenbosch University students and academics wanted to run tests on a Kenyan-built electric motorbike. However, the bike first had to be transported from Nairobi to the university campus. Since standard couriers weren’t feasible, the team devised a plan to drive the motorbike themselves across six African countries. With no charging stations on the route, they custom-built a pop-up travelling solar array to keep the batteries going on solar power alone. It’s a stunt they hope will raise awareness about the potential for electric vehicles in Africa, and champion local skills in a fast-growing global industry. But most of all, it was a life-changing adventure.
Producer: Marion Edmunds | Presenter: Erin Bates
CARTE BLANCHE: THE PODCAST
A President in Denial?
Bullying BRICS – Donald Trump says it’s the dollar or nothing. Later, shrinking economies and shrinking inflation. We make sense of it all. Then, government sets its sights on banks and budget airlines. But why now? And why South Africans are semigrating to the Windy City. But first: as evidence mounts against the now-former Minister of Justice, Thembi Simelane, analysts and various organisations are crying foul of President Ramaphosa’s failure to act more decisively.
PICKS OF THE WEEK
NPA: Tell No Lies, 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.
Saving Bokkie the Turtle
On 21 October 2023 – as the Springboks beat England in the Rugby World Cup semi-finals in Paris – across the world on the coast of South Africa, an injured, barnacle-covered turtle washed up on Struisbaai beach. She was rescued by a local who contacted the Turtle Rescue Network. The turtle was in severe distress and some believed it wouldn’t be alive for much longer. Over several weeks, volunteers tried to save the turtle, which was also missing a flipper. But the frightened animal was resilient and within months, the team could see a substantial improvement in her health. Buoyed by her fighting spirit, the team aptly named her “Bokkie” in honour of the mighty Springboks.
D-Day: BELA Bill
Will he or won’t he? That’s what many are asking as President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to sign off on the controversial Basic Education Laws Amendment (BELA) Bill on Friday 13 September. Tensions are high as Solidarity has threatened to drag the President to court should he sign Clauses 4 and 5 into law in their current form. Meanwhile, the ANC and the South African Democratic Teachers’ Union (SADTU) have urged Ramaphosa to approve the law without any changes, or else…
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.
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