“As a student, I once drove an octogenarian from Kakamas to Cape Town. It was a quid pro quo in which she was chauffeured in the familiar surrounds of her Nissan Skyline, and I got a subsidised trip to visit my then-girlfriend. That she retained control of the radio was a significant downside given her love of Sonja Herholdt and a song about someone called Tant Mossie. And yet, decades later, her stories about life growing up in the arid Northern Cape – a surprisingly textured and interesting place – remain etched in my mind. Sunday’s story about De Rust reminded me that the true magic of our small towns is that they produce people inspired by life’s simpler pleasures, and better able to remember them as a result.” – John Webb, Executive Producer
The Fight for SA Citizenship
Expat South African Jadene Jager got a nasty surprise when she tried to renew her passport after living in Hungary for almost two years. Last year, the South African embassy in Budapest informed her that her citizenship of her birth country had been revoked. On paper, she was no longer a South African. And she’s not alone. Up to four million South Africans living abroad are facing the same fight to retain their citizenship. Controversial apartheid-era legislation has left thousands of expats frustrated and disconnected from their homeland. For some people, the consequences have been devastating, even preventing them from casting their vote in last year’s national elections. Now, an upcoming ruling by the Constitutional Court could change their lives. From Budapest to London and Cape Town, Carte Blanche examines an issue that could reshape the lives of South Africans around the world.
Producer & Presenter: Nickolaus Bauer
De Rust
Nestled at the foot of the Swartberg mountains, on the edge of the Klein Karoo, is a small town that has made a lasting impression on many a traveller. Founded over a century ago, De Rust is a charming dorpie with a rich history and a host of colourful characters. Known for its natural beauty and hospitality it has – in recent years – become something of a haven for artists who draw inspiration from the magnificent surroundings. Carte Blanche takes to the road through the spectacular Meiringspoort Pass to pay a visit to this unique town – arguably one of the best in the country.
Producer: Diana Lucas | Presenter: Macfarlane Moleli
COMING SOON
Lesotho’s Porous Border
Unclaimed dead bodies on the border between South Africa and Lesotho – many of them, people who died while illegally crossing the border. Despite efforts from the SANDF and police, why has the border been left open to exploitation?
NOW STREAMING
Antivenom Crisis
An estimated 4000 people are bitten by snakes every year in South Africa. For many, surviving the experience depends on getting quick access to antivenom. The consequences of not getting proper treatment can be deadly. And across the world,snake handlers depend on antivenom produced for African snake species exclusively in South Africa. But, for the past few years, supply has slowed to a trickle, and we wanted to know why.
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?
Stilfontein: A Decades-long War
This past week’s report on the Stilfontein mine tragedy – in which at least 78 illegal miners died while trapped underground – sadly comes as no surprise to us. In 2015, we visited this same mine and exposed the wave of zama zama activity crippling the region.
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