“It’s tempting to herald a new year with a collection of light and fluffy stories. However, as we prepare for the start of 2025, we’re repeating a story that not only exposed a dodgy surgeon, but once more reminded us of the influence of the show we’re all so proud to work on. And what could be more worthy of celebration than that?” – John Webb, Executive Producer
Licensed to Maim
Neurosurgery is a highly specialised medical discipline and with just a handful of neurosurgeons in South Africa, these doctors are part of an elite inner circle. So, when a high-powered international surgeon from the United States arrived in South Africa, many of his colleagues welcomed him into the fold. But not long after he started practising, alarm bells were raised about his work. In November last year, a 19-year-old underwent an operation to clip a blood clot in his brain. For an experienced neurosurgeon, this was a routine procedure. But for reasons that remain unclear, this surgeon allegedly clipped the main blood supply to the teenager’s brain. In an investigation spanning two continents, Carte Blanche investigates how a disgraced doctor from the US was permitted to yield a scalpel in operating theatres in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, endangering the lives of his patients.
Producer: Tarryn Crossman | Presenter: Govan Whittles
Full Steam Ahead
In the Eastern Free State, at the foot of the majestic Maluti Mountains, Oom Gert Jubileus is working on one of his beloved steam trains. It’s part of the world’s biggest working collection of narrow-gauge steam locomotives; an invaluable heritage that takes visitors back in time. This museum of locomotives consists of 69 steam engines, many of them completely restored. Oom Gert, a long-serving train driver, takes Carte Blanche on a nostalgic journey to a bygone era.
Producer: Catherine Rice | Presenter: Claire Mawisa
On a Wing and a Prayer
South African JeanJacques Wallis is a brave man. With nothing more than a webbing-sleeved jumpsuit, gravity and the wind for support, JeanJacques is the second fastest wingsuit flyer in the world. In wingsuit flying, the pilot freefalls and can reach top speeds of up to 400 km/h, getting metres off the ground before soaring up to eject a parachute. It’s a sport that’s regarded as extremely dangerous, only attempted by the most experienced skydivers and thrill seekers. Carte Blanche meets this extraordinary athlete. Producer: Liz Fish | Presenter: Govan Whittles
STORIES WITH IMPACT
Knysna’s Collapse
Knysna, once the jewel of the Garden Route, is on the brink of collapse. Years of mismanagement, poor service delivery and a failing municipal council have torn at the fabric of what was once a seaside haven. But it’s not just on the streets that the crisis is visible: The Knysna estuary, the most biodiverse in the country, is now under serious threat from the failure of water treatment in the adjacent town. While the rot set in some time ago, a change in the local administration to an ANC-led multi-party coalition appears to have accelerated the town’s decline over the past year. As Knysna faces bankruptcy, Carte Blanche investigates what caused the downfall of one of the country’s most celebrated tourist destinations.
Royal AM: Msunduzi’s Own Goal
In Pietermaritzburg, in the Msunduzi Local Municipality, rubbish lies uncollected on the streets for weeks at a time. In this once-bustling capital city, the putrid stench of urine hangs in the air: a disturbing sign of the city’s decay. Sewage leaks and water pipeline bursts have become common while the supply of electricity has reached a crisis point. The municipality owes Eskom millions, but its coffers are dry. So, why did the mayor sign a multi-million rand deal to sponsor a PSL football team for the next three years? It’s a decision that has residents and business owners outraged.
Shauwn Mkhize: A Clean Sheet?
Shauwn Mkhize is a flamboyant, high-flying businesswoman and soccer boss from KwaZulu-Natal who was once at the centre of allegations of fraud and tax evasion. MaMkhize secured much of her wealth from multiple government tenders to build low-cost housing in the province. Despite being found guilty of fraud in 2005, she doesn’t take kindly to being called a convicted fraudster – something Carte Blanche did in a previous episode. In February this year, we investigated Msunduzi Municipality’s multi-million rand sponsorship of Mkhize’s PSL football club, Royal AM. Days later, Mkhize filed court papers, saying the label “convicted fraudster” was false and defamatory and insisting her record is clean. But, right after our legal papers had been filed, she withdrew the case. Now, in an explosive interview with Govan Whittles, the soccer boss and tenderpreneur pushes back against our claims.
Missing Mega City
Cosmo City in Gauteng is government’s flagship mega city housing development. Initiated in 2001, it’s home to tens of thousands of residents living in well-built, mixed-income housing units. It has schools, parks, shopping malls, and churches: a haven for many people in need of housing. In 2014, government attempted to recreate the success of Cosmo City, investing billions of rands into dozens of so-called mega cities across the country. Montrose Mega City Development, on the outskirts of former gold mining town Randfontein, is one of them. It should’ve been a state-of-the-art home, place of work and transport hub for residents of nearby informal settlements. But it seems one shady developer secured the multi-billion rand tender… then disappeared, leaving a trail of unpaid contractors and incomplete buildings.
Trafficked: Bus Ride From Hell
In November last year, a ten-year-old girl was found during a routine traffic roadblock, squashed inside the luggage compartment of a long-distance bus. She had been smuggled from Zimbabwe into South Africa under extreme conditions for several hours. But her case isn’t unusual. In this months-long investigation, Carte Blanche unravels alleged cross-border human trafficking and the shadowy figures known as transporters who are making it all possible. Undocumented foreign nationals are lured to South Africa from numerous African countries – many of them ending up on the streets of Johannesburg North. Thousands of Malawians are lured into the country on the promise of a new life, some smuggled by long-haul bus companies and funeral parlours, only to be forced into sex work and manual labour. In an even more sinister twist, many of the victims are coerced into taking out funeral policies on themselves once they reach South Africa. It’s an unusual demand but a guaranteed income as the transporters cash in on vulnerable undocumented foreign nationals.
Extortion City
On the surface, Randolf Jorberg – with his bright yellow t-shirt, sunglasses and newly dyed yellow beard – is an eccentric character. But on the streets of Cape Town, he’s a well-known business owner who used to run one of the best beer houses on Long Street. In recent years, though, Randolf has been forced to retreat from the spotlight as protection rackets targeting small businesses have flourished. Cape Town has become the extortion epicentre, with violent criminal syndicates operating across the city. In 2015, Randolf refused to pay protection money. Weeks later, his doorman was assassinated. He says it was a clear message: pay up or suffer the consequences. Alleged underworld kingpins are currently on trial in the Western Cape High Court, but that hasn’t stopped their henchmen from wreaking havoc. Carte Blanche examines the underbelly of the Western Cape’s deadly extortion rackets.
Watch Again (age restricted)
Cash for Days
On a long-distance bus from Pretoria to the Beitbridge border post, the conductor makes his passengers an irresistible offer: he can help them extend their stay in South Africa beyond the 90-day legal limit – for a small fee. Many of his passengers are undocumented foreign nationals who should be on their way back to Zimbabwe. Instead, they’ll pay the fee to obtain a new 90-day stamp and “legally” remain in the country. Many of them won’t even stand face to face with the customs official who stamps their passports. On these long-distance buses, this practice – called buying days – is common, as bus drivers and Home Affairs officials line their pockets at the expense of those desperate to remain in South Africa. Carte Blanche investigates.
Psychiatric Care in Shambles
In the Northern Cape, government built what should’ve been a functional, modern, state-run mental healthcare facility. It was the long-awaited fulfilment of a promise to those in need of mental healthcare services in a province desperate for psychiatric facilities. But five years after it was finally opened, whistleblowers have come forward describing a facility that’s in urgent need of attention. And for once, a lack of funds isn’t the problem. Documents and images obtained by Carte Blanche show how the mismanagement of funds by the Northern Cape Department of Health and the hospital are eating away at the budget meant for vulnerable patients.
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