Coming up on Carte Blanche‎ on M-Net & M-Net HD [101], Sunday 20 July 2025 at 19:00

Engineers Set Free
After two harrowing years imprisoned in Equatorial Guinea, two South African engineers are finally back home. Peter Huxham and Frik Potgieter were arrested in February 2023 in an apparent political tit-for-tat after South African courts seized a super yacht and two high-end Cape Town properties belonging to the Vice President of Equatorial Guinea. The men were convicted on trumped-up drug charges and sentenced to twelve years in a high-security jail – for a crime they didn’t commit. But their families never stopped calling for their release… and finally, the men were pardoned by the President of Equatorial Guinea. It’s a story of anguish, uncertainty – and unwavering hope.

Producer: Annalise Lubbe
Presenter: Erin Bates
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Buried Lies
Families in mourning receive shocking news: the remains they’ve received are not their loved ones. Are these the ashes of a stranger, or something else entirely? And where are the bodies buried? A year ago, a dozen grieving families were alerted to an alleged funeral services scam involving faked documents, mystery ashes – and a burial in a paupers’ grave. But a year later, city officials are no longer taking their calls. As families remain in painful limbo, unable to exhume their relatives or even mark their final resting places, Carte Blanche asks: who is responsible? And how can these families find closure?

Producer: Liz Fish
Presenter: Erin Bates
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Small Town: Philippolis
When the Great Karoo through road was built between Johannesburg and Cape Town in the 1970s, it bypassed the Free State’s oldest settlement town. No tourist trap, no motels, no job bonanza for locals. Three petrol stations dwindled to one. Buildings and farms were abandoned. But the omission has turned out to be a blessing in disguise… This little dorp has retained its old-world charm, mingled with an air of benevolent neglect. Philippolis has always attracted interesting characters and today it’s a popular semigration location. From a pianist of international repute who plays the church organ each Sunday, to a entrepreneurial beekeeper, and a jail that once housed prisoners of war. There’s plenty to discover in this small town.

Producer: Diana Lucas
Presenter: Claire Mawisa
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Carte Blanche: The Podcast

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