“I was reminded today that we investigated conditions at Stilfontein about a decade ago. To describe conditions as dire would not do justice to the lawlessness our crew encountered, especially after dark. It comes as no surprise then that the indifference shown by government to regulation and law enforcement in 2015 culminated in tragedy ten years later.” – John Webb, Executive Producer
Stilfontein: Trapped in the Deep
Desperate and dying, more than 300 illegal miners spent months trapped in an abandoned mine shaft in Stilfontein in the North West in a prolonged and – for many – fatal standoff with authorities. Desperate families visited the site daily as letters and videos emerged from the depths, claiming that the miners were starving to death after police had stopped food supplies. Last week, the stalemate finally ended as 246 emaciated men and 78 bodies were pulled to the surface. These miners are just some of the thousands of zama zamas digging in and around old mines in Klerksdorp, Stilfontein and Orkney. As illegal mining continues to surge across the country, could more have been done to save the lives lost in this disaster?
Producer: Graham Coetzer | Presenter: Govan Whittles
Antivenom Crisis
Christiaan Mahne was catching frogs in a shallow pond in Limpopo when he felt a sharp pain near his wrist and jerked it out of the water just in time to see a snake with its teeth sunk into his arm. He had been bitten by a snouted cobra. While Christiaan received antivenom, he is still undergoing intense treatment for tissue damage caused by the venomous bite. He is one of the lucky ones. In just the last year, a 10-year-old boy in the Eastern Cape and a man in Limpopo both died from snake bites. Since the COVID pandemic, antivenom production has slowed in South Africa, leaving people and pets at risk. Carte Blanche examines what is driving the crisis.
Producer: Nicky Troll | Presenter: Masa Kekana
Swak to Strength
‘Swak’ – that was the newspaper headline that, back in January 2024, propelled Professor Jonathan Jansen to take action. The headline, emblazoned on The Voice’s website, referred to Crestway High School – a school derided by many for obtaining the lowest matric pass rate in the Western Cape. Situated in Retreat, the high school saw a mere 37 out of 103 matriculants passing the national exam. It was also the only school in the province to have a pass rate well below 40%. Prof. Jansen simply couldn’t look the other way., not only because of his intense passion for education, but because he also realised Crestway High was next door to his childhood home. A strong believer in the notion that charity begins at home, the good Prof. put his hand up and, in collaboration with the highly dedicated teachers at the school, made a commitment to turn things around. Now, a year later, Crestway High’s matriculants have shown great progress and are turning their “swak” into “strength”.
Producer: Marion Edmunds | Presenter: Erin Bates
NOW STREAMING
Stellenbosch Police Failures
Late last year, a series of violent crimes targeting students saw us undertake an investigation in the university town of Stellenbosch. Our time there came just days after the brutal murder of a young man cycling home from campus. The incident was the latest in a crime wave that included several violent abductions – some of them caught on CCTV cameras placed around the town. Despite that evidence, police investigations have left a lot to be desired and questions are also being asked of the university’s role in helping to keep students safe. After the latest murder, we returned to Stellenbosch to get answers from the university and the police. Sadly, neither seemed keen on facing our cameras.
Frozen Masterpiece
Every northern hemisphere winter, designers from around the world converge to help build Sweden’s famous Ice Hotel. It’s an iconic project – a temporary architectural masterpiece that’s sculpted using little more than ice and snow and built in the most unforgiving conditions. South African designer Corban Warrington was among the lucky few given the chance to showcase their extraordinary skills as they brought life to this iconic structure.
NEWS AND VIEWS
PetroSA’s Predicament
Last year, we sat down with amaBhungange’s Susan Comrie to learn more about a multi-billion rand deal between Russia-linked Gazprombank and South Africa’s national oil company, PetroSA. The deal, signed at a time when Russia faced increased sanctions – raised eyebrows. Now, just over a year after government put pen to paper, the deal is seemingly on the brink of collapse. Find out more about this latest development on the amaBhungane website.
PetroSA has been on our radar for quite some time, with the launch of our multi-part investigation in December 2023. Back then, we looked at how the state-owned enterprise capitalised on the country’s energy crisis; with diesel in high demand, there was big money to be made. There were also several questions being raised around what Open Secrets’ Michael Marchant described as “strange dealings, particularly around the African continent”.
Revisit our investigation into an entity that’s continuously operated under a cloud of secrecy, with accountability and a string of bad investment decisions leaving this vital organisation teetering on the edge.
PetroSA’s Dirty Business
State-owned company PetroSA used to produce diesel and other fuels from gas at its refinery in Mossel Bay. But in 2020, it ran out of gas… and money. Two decades of woeful investments, scandals, absence of governance, and profligacy had rendered the company bankrupt. But Minerals and Energy Minister, Gwede Mantashe, has refused to let it fail. He has big plans for PetroSA’s revival into a new petroleum company with the sole shareholding vested in his office. Meanwhile, inside the boardroom of PetroSA, all is not well as the chairman makes headlines. He reportedly wants the CEO’s position, but a string of misconduct findings against him may scupper his plans. As details of questionable tender processes emerge, Carte Blanche investigates an institution operating behind a veil of secrecy not even parliament seems able to penetrate.
PetroSA’s Plush Deal
PetroSA, South Africa’s state-owned oil and gas company, has successfully hidden most of its bad investments over the years. By 2020, poor decisions at the secretive company had wasted billions and almost closed it down. But it was given a lifeline when Mineral Resources and Energy Minister, Gwede Mantashe – determined to save PetroSA – insisted Eskom buy its diesel from the parastatal. Now, it’s on a new drive to partner with private business. A recent contract with the Russian Gazprom Bank has caused a stir, but a far larger deal (signed in secret) will make a controversial businessman a major player in the oil and gas industry. We lift the lid on this new profit-sharing deal in the oil and gas fields off the Southern Cape Coast.
Royal … Ahem!
In the wake of Shauwn Mkhize’s run-in with the taxman, the flamboyant socialite is facing another headache. This past Tuesday, the Democratic Alliance’s KZN branch filed a motion calling on the Msunduzi Municipality to review and terminate a R27-million sponsorship deal with Mkhize’s Royal AM footbal club. In its motion, the party states that the consistent cancellation of Royal AM matches served no benefit to local tourism. It also added that “the Royal AM brand is attracting negative scrutiny and this council’s association with the sponsorship will negatively affect the city.”
In February last year, we looked into the controversial deal and questioned how sponsoring the world’s second-worst managed club could be of any benefit to a municipality facing imminent collapse.
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.
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