{"id":22864,"date":"2024-09-06T15:35:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-06T13:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/?p=22864"},"modified":"2024-09-06T15:35:02","modified_gmt":"2024-09-06T13:35:02","slug":"coming-up-on-carte-blanche-8-september-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/blog\/2024\/09\/06\/coming-up-on-carte-blanche-8-september-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Coming Up On Carte Blanche – 8 September 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cMany years ago, I worked for a radio news service that shared offices with the SA Press Association in downtown Joburg.\u00a0Landlines rang incessantly over the clatter of keyboards being hammered by reporters and copy editors who\u2019d honed their skills on typewriters.\u00a0Sitting on stained red couches in an unventilated smoking room, we\u2019d share views on the day\u2019s stories over cigarettes and instant coffee. It was noisy and chaotic and decrepit. And always, always strewn with newspapers. In other words, utterly glorious.\u201d\u00a0– <\/em>John Webb, Executive Producer\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/g3sx3KQamoM\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Listeriosis Class Action<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 2017, South Africa was faced with the largest listeriosis outbreak in world history. By September 2018, this foodborne disease had killed more than two hundred people and left hundreds more in serious condition. The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) investigated and traced the source of the outbreak to Enterprise polony, a popular ready-to-eat processed meat produced by Tiger Brands. The deadly listeriosis strain that caused the outbreak, ST6, was not found at any location or facility during the outbreak period except Tiger Brands\u2019 Polokwane meat processing facility. A class action lawsuit saw listeriosis survivors demanding compensation from the consumer goods giant. But six years later, they have received nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Producer: Kate Barry | Presenter: Govan Whittles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/W6I5ppY0bqw\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Prep School Bully<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In Pietermaritzburg, an all-boys preparatory school that prides itself on being a leading specialist institution has found itself mired in controversy. The headmaster stands accused of sexual harassment, bullying staff and verbally abusing schoolboys as young as seven. Many of his alleged victims say the principal is a seasoned bully, ruling through power and dominance, and accustomed to belittling both staff and students. But the embattled educator says he is a whistleblower raising real concerns about the governing body\u2019s financial management of the school. The school has taken the matter to court, asking the Department of Education to suspend the headmaster \u2013 but at what cost?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Producer: Tarryn Crossman | Presenter: Masa Kekana<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/0UGft1RkdT4\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Oom Frans and His Newspapers<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In an antique building on the main street of Calvinia in the heart of the Hantam Karoo, 91-year-old Oom Frans Hugo shuffles from his desk to the large cardboard printouts on another table. He carefully cuts out a black-and-white photograph and sticks it just below the newspaper headline that he\u2019s working on. This is the newsroom where, for decades, Oom Frans has been patiently producing three weekly newspapers: The Messenger, Die Noordwester and Die Owernuus. As the future of print news hangs in the balance, and the journalism profession faces an existential crisis, Oom Frans seems unaffected. Once a week, he sets off before daybreak to drive 1200 km in a single day, personally delivering his popular newspapers to readers across the region. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Producer: Anina Peens | Presenter: Macfarlane Moleli<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

From Podcast Bro to Politics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

An SOE shakeup is welcomed by most \u2013 so is it a move in the right direction? Then, from podcasts to politics \u2013 what Roman Cabanac\u2019s controversial appointment says about the DA. Later, do we have a compromised Minister of Justice? And bringing the gees to the Paralympics in Paris. But first, as we celebrate day 160 of no loadshedding, it seems South Africa has reached a crucial turning point in our 17-year-long energy crisis. Pessimists will say: don\u2019t hold your breath, while optimists (such as<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ourselves) are eagerly awaiting a blackout-free summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n