“Since the pandemic, trust in big pharma and the philanthropic organisations behind the provision of medicines in the developing world seems at its lowest ebb. Vaccine hesitancy, often fuelled by wild conspiracies, is also flourishing. Perhaps a more concerted return to the concept of “informed consent” rather than resorting to name-calling would help regain the lost ground.” – John Webb, Executive Producer
The Contraception Question
Dizziness, blurry vision, seizures and intense headaches. The true horror of sphenoid wing meningiomas appears to be only fully grasped by the people who have them growing inside their skulls, and the surgeons who try to help them. These invasive tumours often grow undetected for years, causing huge damage to the eyes and brain. In an investigation spanning two continents, Carte Blanche meets some of the meningioma patients who have had to undergo complex brain surgery to save their lives. Not only do they share this grisly experience, but they’ve also discovered that they were all on one of the world’s most widely available contraceptive injections – Depo-Provera – for decades. Now, new scientific evidence is suggesting a possible link between medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) – the synthetic hormone in Depo-Provera – and the development of brain tumours. Lawyers are preparing cases against the manufacturers of the so-called “jab” in several countries, including South Africa, after nine women with meningiomas approached them to consider action. Responding to growing pressure on this issue, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) has recently recommended updating safety warnings about MPA-containing products to include the potential risk of meningioma. But for the women we have spoken to, this comes too little too late.
Producer: Marion Edmunds | Presenter: Erin Bates
Stuck in Myanmar
A young single mother from Gauteng was offered a work visa, accommodation and a one-year contract to work in sales in Thailand for a company that needed English-speaking employees. Unable to find work in South Africa, she jumped at the opportunity. The recruitment process took just three days before the company deposited R10 000 into her account and she received instructions about where to pick up her plane ticket. At the time, everything seemed above board. That is until she landed in Thailand… She was escorted by armed men to a compound in Myanmar, notorious for being the epicentre of online scams, where she was forced to work. Her passport was taken away and she was told she could not leave because she owed her handlers money. She had been trafficked by an international human trafficking ring – but she wasn’t alone. Over 7000 people from around the world all fell for the same scam. Now, they’ve been rescued but they are stuck in a military compound in Myanmar and unable to get home.
Producer: Graham Coetzer | Presenter: Claire Mawisa
Rugby, Rules and Referees
In a sport shaped by tradition, rugby refereeing is transforming. Aimee Barrett-Theron is at the centre of a new dawn for the sports, facing intense scrutiny from both pundits and supporters. But Barrett-Theron is no stranger to this high-pressure environment and is currently the most capped female referee in test rugby. Once a Springbok rugby player herself, she took up refereeing by joining the World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series circuit. Since then, Barrett-Theron has grown from strength to strength, refereeing some of the toughest women’s and men’s games. Now, as rugby continues to transform and the rulebook evolves, Carte Blanche sits down with the referee.
Producer: Carol Albertyn Christie | Presenter: Macfarlane Moleli
NOW STREAMING
When Wigs Fly
In Mpumalanga, farmers and transporters are battling what they claim are criminal syndicates hijacking truckloads of grain. It’s an elaborate scam that hinges on a flaw in the way the grain is bought and sold. We travelled to Delmas – arguably the grain hijacking capital – and caught one suspected ringleader red-handed. Get the full story now on DStv Stream.
Not So Fun in the Sun
Two bouts of power cuts in the last six weeks were a painful reminder of the precarious state of Eskom and precarious state of our energy supply. And it’s led to renewed interest from people wanting to install solar systems at their homes and businesses. But before those who’ve already forked out the substantial amount of money needed for solar say, “I told you so”, they might want to read the fine print in a plan unveiled by Eskom. For the full story, get DStv Stream.
NEWS & VIEWS
Andy Kawa: Justice Delayed
In December 2010, Andy Kawa went for a walk on a beach in her then-hometown, Port Elizabeth. She disappeared without a trace. Unable to contact her, her family raised the alarm, immediately reporting her missing. The police, though, were slow to follow up and all the while, Andy was in the fight of her life. For about fifteen hours, she was held at knifepoint and brutally gang raped by vagrants. She’d eventually be found, but the investigation that followed was so sloppy that it denied her justice and prolonged her trauma. So, she decided to take her fight against the police to court and, 12 years later, after a relentless battle, the Constitutional Court finally ruled the police had been negligent in their handling of her case. A victory for Andy and a game-changer for survivors of violent crime.
Justice for Ukraine
In the capital city of Kyiv, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin and his team have spent months examining evidence of war crimes. Since Russia’s military invasion more than two years ago, Ukraine has been collecting exhibits and eyewitness accounts to mount a case against the Kremlin and its military forces and secure justice for thousands of civilians who have been tortured and killed in the ongoing war. Kostin is confident that it’s only a matter of time before Russia will be prosecuted for war crimes and forced to retreat from Ukraine’s borders. Carte Blanche, alongside a group of international journalists, gets a seat at the table as the high-level strategy missions highlight the plight of the Ukrainian people.
Watch Again (age restricted)
JOIN THE #CARTEBLANCHE CONVERSATION
Please note: Carte Blanche line-ups are subject to change. Stories can be viewed at www.carteblanche.co.za
Facebook: Carte Blanche #CarteBlanche
Twitter / X: @carteblanchetv #CarteBlanche
Instagram: @carteblanchetv #CarteBlanche
Youtube: carteblancheTV #CarteBlanche
TikTok: @carteblanchetv101
Threads: carteblanchetv
