Coming up on Carte Blanche‎ on M-Net & M-Net HD [101], Sunday 10 December 2023 at 19:00.

PetroSA’s Dirty Business
State-owned company PetroSA used to produce diesel and other fuels from gas at its refinery in Mossel Bay. But in 2020, it ran out of gas… and money. Two decades of woeful investments, scandals, absence of governance, and profligacy had rendered the company bankrupt. But Minerals and Energy Minister, Gwede Mantashe, has refused to let it fail. He has big plans for PetroSA’s revival into a new petroleum company with the sole shareholding vested in his office. Meanwhile, inside the boardroom of PetroSA, all is not well as the chairman makes headlines. He reportedly wants the CEO’s position, but a string of misconduct findings against him may scupper his plans. As details of questionable tender processes emerge, Carte Blanche investigates an institution operating behind a veil of secrecy not even parliament seems able to penetrate.

Producer: Joy Summers
Presenter: Masa Kekana
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Rape Extortion Racket
In eMqhekezweni, a small village in the Eastern Cape, women are on edge. Once the second home of former President Nelson Mandela, it was known for its close-knit community living in relative tranquillity. But now it’s plagued by a sinister balaclava-clad gang running a ruthless extortion racket targeting women. At dusk, men arrive on horseback to terrorise the villagers, demanding that young girls and women of all ages pay them a protection fee or risk being raped. Most in the village are poor, unable to pay their tormentors. Yet help from the police is kilometres away.

Producer: Sipha Kema
Presenter: Govan Whittles
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Miracle Baby
Matteo Botha shouldn’t be alive today… When he was just 18 months old, an ordinary evening at home ended in an emergency visit to hospital. Matteo needed surgery to have a large portion of his bowel removed. But this was just the beginning of his ordeal. Matteo’s heart stopped on the operating table, an unusual outcome that baffled his medical team. They resuscitated him – but then his heart stopped again… and again. Within 24 hours of being rushed to the emergency department, the little boy’s heart had stopped 12 times. His doctors warned that he was severely brain damaged, but his parents refused to give up. Now, more than a year later, Matteo is a thriving baby boy making a remarkable neurological recovery.

Producer: Liz Fish
Presenter: Erin Bates
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Carte Blanche: The Podcast
Unique stories. Unique perspectives. Carte Blanche: The Podcast delves beneath the headlines into South African and global issues, bringing you the stories that matter. Like what you hear? Drop us a rating or review.

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Please note Carte Blanche line-ups are subject to change.