{"id":18539,"date":"2023-05-05T16:24:27","date_gmt":"2023-05-05T14:24:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/?p=18539"},"modified":"2023-05-05T16:24:31","modified_gmt":"2023-05-05T14:24:31","slug":"coming-up-on-carte-blanche-7-may-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/blog\/2023\/05\/05\/coming-up-on-carte-blanche-7-may-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Coming Up On Carte Blanche – 7 May 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"
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“A few years ago, I worked with a gifted \u2018fixer\u2019 while on assignment in Ukraine. \u00a0He\u2019d expertly arranged three days of filming in Chernobyl, including an interview with a remarkable Babushka living in the nuclear exclusion zone. A decade or so younger than me with a wife and little daughter, he spoke glowingly of South Africa, of Mandela and our generally peaceful transition. I\u2019ve been unable to reach him since the Russian invasion but, if he\u2019s still alive, how let down he must feel.” –<\/em> John Webb, Executive Producer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pandering to Putin<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The ANC\u2019s political allegiance to its Cold War friend, Russia, is causing a political rumpus as a potential visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin forces the South African government to make tough choices. This includes whether it leaves the International Criminal Court (ICC) which may reset its already-damaged global reputation for the worse. The ICC has issued a warrant of arrest for Putin for the kidnapping of thousands of Ukrainian children during the conflict between the neighbours. As South Africa is a signatory to the Rome Statute \u2013 which underpins the ICC \u2013 it would be obliged to arrest Putin if he comes to South Africa for the BRICS summit in August. The Premier of the Western Cape, Alan Winde says he will get his unarmed Law Enforcement Advancement Plan (LEAP) officers to arrest Putin if he strays into the Western Cape, a province under the political control of the opposition. While this throws up the spectacle of the absurd, it has set the cat further among the pigeons, sending the government into a legal huddle as it tries to work out what to do next. Is this political hot potato just one more milestone in South Africa\u2019s slow drift to isolationism, compounded by greylisting, industrial-scale corruption, and clumsy foreign policy? Carte Blanche examines the consequences of pandering to Putin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Producer: Marion Edmunds | Presenter: Masa Kekana<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/youtube.com\/watch?v=cMhInULbykc\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Deadly Encounters<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It was described as an audacious prison break: the charred remains of an unidentified man lay in the now-infamous cell 35 at the G4S private prison in Mangaung while the man dubbed the \u201cFacebook Rapist\u201d made his escape. In a morbid ruse, his alleged accomplice, Nandipha Magudumana, later claimed the deceased as her customary law husband, Thabo Bester. Eleven months later and Bester, Magudumana and numerous alleged co-conspirators are behind bars. But while police tracked the two fugitives all the way to Tanzania, focus shifted to identifying the body left behind in cell 35. Now identified as Katlego Bereng, a man well-known to one of the accused, details of his brutal murder have shocked his family, leaving them with more questions than answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Producer: Busisiwe Gumede-Chizhanje | Presenter: Claire Mawisa<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/youtube.com\/watch?v=DVscnJQ1ahQ\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Saving N|uu<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are 7000 languages spoken around the world. But every year, at least 25 of those disappear, never to be spoken again. In South Africa, the ancient N|uu language is on the brink of extinction. But one woman is determined to preserve this heritage. Ouma Katrina Esau is the last surviving, fluent speaker of N|uu: a rich San language once widely spoken in villages across the Northern Cape. Now, the 90-year-old Ouma Katrina is determined to save the language and leave behind a cultural inheritance for future generations.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Producer: Liz Fish | Presenter: Macfarlane Moleli<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/youtube.com\/watch?v=BtfeGC-NjTU\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Arch Angels<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sailing is one of the most challenging sports in the world as individuals battle dangerous winds and waters to voyage to distant shores. But for a group of unlikely seafarers from South Africa, sailing has unlocked a world of opportunity. In a history-making voyage, the first complete crew from the Royal Cape Yacht Club Sailing Academy \u2013 hailing from marginalised communities \u2013 crossed the finish line of the 50th Cape2Rio yacht race in third position. On board the ArchAngel, the team arrived in Rio de Janeiro 24-days after setting sail from Cape Town. The crew broke every stereotype, proving that it is possible for people from diverse backgrounds to participate in sports previously only accessible to a privileged few.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Producer: Sinethemba Nogude | Presenter: Macfarlane Moleli<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

CARTE BLANCHE: THE PODCAST<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dirty Dossiers, Crumbling Coalitions & Presidential Blunders<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

What was President Cyril Ramaphosa thinking when he suddenly announced SA\u2019s exit from the ICC – then backtracked hours later? Masa Kekana and Daily Maverick\u2019s Heather Robertson try and make sense of this presidential faux pas. And why coalition government needs a serious rethink\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Listen Now<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thabo Bester: Red Notice<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The plan was meticulous: an unidentified body, a blazing fire, and prison officials who were paid to look the other way… Convicted murderer Thabo Bester almost got away with the most daring prison break in South Africa, until GroundUp\u2019s investigative journalists caught on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Listen Now<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

PICKS OF THE WEEK<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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