“On Monday, a judge in the Pietermaritzburg High Court ruled in our favour in a case we consider precedent-setting. It was an attempt by a KZN cardiologist to prevent us from broadcasting an investigation into serious allegations against him. The court found not only that we be allowed to tell the story, but that the seriousness of the subject matter compels us to do so. It’s a reminder that, with a few exceptions, the judiciary continues to serve as a bulwark against those attempting to bully us into silence.” – John Webb, Executive Producer
One Man, One Mission
It’s one of the biggest shake-ups in the history of the South African Police Service (SAPS). Early this month, KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lt. Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi took aim at South Africa’s criminal elite – and the country held its breath. Mkhwanazi claimed that politicians and top officials have sabotaged the work of an elite investigative unit to protect their own interests in organised crime. As President Cyril Ramaphosa promised a judicial commission of enquiry and put the police minister on a leave of absence, critics raged at the apparent lack of urgency. We explore the allegations, connect the dots, and dig past the spin to reveal the rot.
Producer: Graham Coetzer | Presenter: Erin Bates
FROM THE ARCHIVES: KZN Police Fightback
In KwaZulu-Natal, shootouts between police and gun-wielding criminals are becoming the norm. Between January and September 2024, close to 100 criminal suspects have been killed by police in running gun battles. KZN isn’t the province with the highest or even the second-highest levels of violent crime in the country, but its police are becoming notorious for “fighting fire with fire”. At the centre of it all is the province’s top brass, led by the provincial Police Commissioner Lt. Gen Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi who insists that police are at war with criminals intent on bloodshed. But is this approach justified? In a wide-ranging interview, Carte Blanche sits down with Mkhwanazi to ask the hard questions around the emergence of a police force.
Trailer (age restricted)
Dr Stent
An elite endurance runner, a spear fisherman, and a motoring enthusiast: they had no history of heart trouble – until they encountered a doctor who seemed a little too eager to intervene. Reports abound of patients with apparently healthy hearts who go into his practice, only to wake up with stents in their arteries – stents that they allegedly do not need. Now, those patients risk developing the very heart disease the doctor claimed to be repairing. It’s a story the good doctor hoped would never see the light. Carte Blanche investigates.
Producer: Mart-Marie Faure | Presenter: Claire Mawisa
Saving Senekal
Five years ago, it made headlines for all the wrong reasons. The murder of a young farmer unleashed unrest and exposed the distrust simmering beneath the surface of this small town. But Senekal, nestled in the Eastern Free State, is quietly rewriting its story through community-led restoration, unexpected alliances, and a shared vision for the future. It’s a story of what’s possible when those who once stood divided find a way to stand together in daily acts of courage; when a rural community decides that healing is the only way forward.
Producer: Anina Peens | Presenter: Macfarlane Moleli
NOW STREAMING
SANDF: Open Secrets Revisited
Nearly two years ago, we brought you a chilling story about an alleged rogue unit operating within the National Defence Force. Investigations suggested that highly trained, dangerous members of the Special Forces were operating above the law, involved in kidnapping, torture and even murder. Then, in June, news broke that several SANDF members – including Special Forces operatives – had been arrested. The State’s case appears to include elements revealed in our own investigation. It’s a story unfolding in real time, with widespread implications for the rule of law, the operation of secret armed forces in our country and vulnerable whistleblowers. Get the full story now on DStv Stream and Catch Up.
FROM THE ARCHIVES: SANDF Torture Squad
This is a story about the bad and the brave and how an investigator on a dark journey exposes shocking secrets at the heart of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). It’s a story that starts on the Cape coast, and takes him from Simonstown in the Western Cape to Phalaborwa in the North and then to a military base in South Africa’s capital city, Pretoria. The investigation exposes a grouping of elite soldiers and SANDF officials who appear to operate above the law, engaging in illegal campaigns involving torture, politics, spycraft and even murder.
Fight for Land in Georgia
Georgia: it’s a tiny country between Russia and Türkiye whose GDP since the early 2000s has been one of the fastest-growing in the world. In a bid to further boost their economy, the Georgian government developed an agricultural development plan and invited South African farmers to relocate there in 2010 to help get it off the ground. Dozens packed up and went. But a lot can change in 15 years. Under a new government, different laws and a changing foreign policy, how are those South Africans doing today? Nickolaus Bauer took a trip to find out. Full story available now on DStv Stream and Catch Up.
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