{"id":23780,"date":"2025-07-11T16:14:12","date_gmt":"2025-07-11T14:14:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/?p=23780"},"modified":"2025-07-11T16:14:13","modified_gmt":"2025-07-11T14:14:13","slug":"coming-up-on-carte-blanche-13-july-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/blog\/2025\/07\/11\/coming-up-on-carte-blanche-13-july-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Coming Up On Carte Blanche – 13 July 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cApparently, the term \u2018banana republic\u2019 was coined by the writer O. Henry in the early 1900s to describe a fictitious country loosely based on Honduras. I wonder if, in his wildest imaginings, Henry could have conceived of a real country in which an elite army unit is accused of abduction and murder \u2013 days before a top policeman accuses a cabinet minister and a provincial judiciary of protecting a criminal kingpin \u2013 days after a deputy minister is fired for not getting permission to fly overseas \u2013 days before a ruling party apparatchik insists said country is not a \u2018banana republic\u2019.\u201d – John Webb, Executive Producer<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Fight for Land in Georgia<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For nearly two decades, a community of South African farmers has carved out a life in the Republic of Georgia, drawn by arable land and promises of opportunity. They were followed by a growing South African presence in tech, medicine and financial services. But the same soil that once offered new hope is now the site of rising tension. In the face of new restrictions on foreign land ownership, state interference, and red tape, farmers are leaving the land they helped develop. Carte Blanche <\/strong>speaks to the South African farmers who say they were welcomed in, only to be quietly pushed out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Producer & Presenter: Nickolaus Bauer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Open Secrets Revisited<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In 2023, we reported on an elite shadow force allegedly operating above the law in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). Investigations linked the group to the kidnapping of an Ethiopian man and his bodyguard from the Mall of Africa. The SANDF claimed they were on a training exercise. Then the investigator was shot in the head. Illegal surveillance, torture, even murder: the evidence pointed to a dark underworld in our national defence force. Top brass accused us of fabricating the story. But now, 12 SANDF members are in court on charges of murder, kidnapping and vehicle theft. Will the silence around the alleged rogue special force finally be broken? And what secrets will emerge?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Producer: Marion Edmunds | Presenter: Govan Whittles<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Magical Haenertsburg<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

From a forest full of rare birds to the tallest planted tree in Africa: Magoebaskloof is shrouded in mist and history. And the people living here are just as unique; whether it\u2019s the coffee farmer harvesting at altitude, the guide who knows every call of the forest birds, or the creator of award-winning international film props and costumes. Perhaps there\u2019s something mystical about Haenertsburg \u2013 or maybe it\u2019s just the fresh mountain air \u2013 but this little village is truly magical. We travel to the Land of the Silver Mist to get a taste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Producer: Annalise Lubbe | Presenter: Masa Kekana<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NOW STREAMING<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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