Coming up on Carte Blanche on M-Net & M-Net HD [101], Sunday 11 August 2024 at 19:00
A Kudu on My Stoep
It’s an idyllic vision: a bushveld holiday town where human residents and wild animals live as neighbours. Marloth Park, bordering the Kruger National Park, was established in 1977 as an enclosed suburb made of large residential stands interspersed with parklands for grazing, with animals coming and going across the Crocodile River as they pleased. But nearly 50 years later, the border with the Kruger has been fenced off, the town is overpopulated and overgrazed, and mismanagement and infighting prevail. A culling programme was stopped in 2017 amidst concerns for residents’ safety. Today, no one can agree on a way to end the stalemate. Can the promised bushveld haven be salvaged?
Producer: Kate Barry
Presenter: Macfarlane Moleli
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Global Health Hack
It happened without warning: a security breach at the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), the state pathology service which has become the backbone of the country’s healthcare services. In June this year, a major cyberattack targeted vulnerable points in the NHLS, denying it access to its own IT systems and infrastructure. The ransomware attack was so destructive that the organisation’s systems have remained inaccessible for over a month, denying 80% of South Africans access to their medical records. Around the country, thousands of surgeries have been cancelled as doctors scramble to access patient information and test results. But this isn’t the first security breach on an organisation providing a critical service: globally, similar cyberattacks on major hospitals in Europe and Africa are on the rise.
Producer: Liz Fish
Presenter: Erin Bates
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Snotklap
In a packed bar, two men face each other across a small table. To the cheers of the crowd, one lines up… then slaps his opponent with all his might across the cheek. No, this is not a bar fight. It’s professional slap fighting and it’s experiencing a massive surge in popularity. Emerging as a viral phenomenon in Russia in 2019, slap fighting is attracting former wrestlers and boxers like South African heavyweight Danie “Pitbull” van Heerden. But it’s as controversial as it is compelling. Repeated blows to the head can cause concussion, traumatic brain injury and long-term neurological issues. Fans claim slap fighting is safer than many combat sports, but critics say it’s unavoidably risky – and question whether it can be considered a sport at all.
Producer: Carol Albertyn Christie
Presenter: Lourensa Eckard
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Carte Blanche: The Podcast
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Please note Carte Blanche line-ups are subject to change.
