{"id":23184,"date":"2024-12-06T18:11:16","date_gmt":"2024-12-06T16:11:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/?p=23184"},"modified":"2024-12-06T18:11:19","modified_gmt":"2024-12-06T16:11:19","slug":"coming-up-on-carte-blanche-8-december-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/blog\/2024\/12\/06\/coming-up-on-carte-blanche-8-december-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Coming Up On Carte Blanche – 8 December 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cCritics of the NPA\u2019s recent track record have decried the failure of its top officials to answer to their failures. We\u2019re very proud of our collaboration with amaBhungane as, for what may be the first time, feet are genuinely held to the fire.\u00a0No longer should South Africans be duped by (to borrow from a certain former president\u2019s favourite soliloquy) the \u2018sound and fury\u2019 that has to date \u2018signified nothing\u2019.\u201d <\/em>– John Webb, Executive Producer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/suiSEGi0gjA\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Claim No Easy Victories<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, Shamila Batohi returned from The Hague to lead our National Prosecuting Authority (NPA). During the Zuma presidency, the once-proud NPA had been hollowed out by state capture; Batohi was a welcome appointment who promised to restore the organisation and ensure speedy convictions of state capture perpetrators. The same year, former prosecutor Hermione Cronje returned to head up the NPA’s sharp end: the Investigating Directorate (ID) which would investigate, arrest and prosecute state capture and complex financial crimes. Batohi and Cronje: two powerful women with the same aim. But within two years, Cronje left for a second time. Since then, the NPA has made several high-profile arrests, but the progress on state capture cases is dismal, and crucial ones have been struck from the roll. Is the NPA still in crisis, despite angry denials from current leadership? Carte Blanche, in association with amaBhungane, looks at what has gone wrong at the National Prosecuting Authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Producer: Joy Summers | Presenter: Susan Comrie<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/nO30tnjWFL4\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Historian<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On any given afternoon in the Botanical Gardens, visitors may spot one of Johannesburg\u2019s rare sights. Sometimes it\u2019s an Inca warrior or an Ottoman trader. But on really good days, it’s a Crusader patrolling the forests. Gareth Sephton is a unique character with a passion for history, and he\u2019s decided to literally put himself in the shoes of those who lived before us to experience what life was like in a bygone era. Gareth believes history is more than just memorising a string of facts: it\u2019s a sensory experience, and he\u2019s not afraid to immerse himself in the textures and tastes of any era. Dog walkers may be confused by his attire, but for children at a local primary school and the elderly at a nearby retirement home, Gareth teaches and entertains in equal measure. A delightful story about what might happen when you let your imagination run free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

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

Lying by Omission?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The President\u2019s Phala Phala predicament continues. Later, is honesty the best policy when it comes to Members of Parliament? Also, Table Mountain\u2019s crime problem makes headlines again. Then, vapers beware \u2013 new proposed laws causes some serious blowback. And Olympics in South Africa? Gayton says, “Yes!” But first, how the mighty have fallen\u2026 We look at the case against Danny Jordaan<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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