Coming up on Carte Blanche on M-Net & M-Net HD [101], Sunday 29 January 2023 at 19:00.
Tiger on the Loose
She was an eight-year-old Bengal tiger named Sheba, hand-reared and loved. But tigers are apex predators, so when this fully-grown female escaped from her enclosure in the South of Johannesburg, locals panicked. Her owner, Rassie Erasmus, conscious of the danger she posed, was among them. As reports emerged of Sheba feasting on domestic animals, residents grew increasingly alarmed, fearing they may be next. It became clear to Erasmus what needed to be done: Sheba would have to be killed. It’s a story that enraged and baffled in equal measure. What explains government’s reluctance to ban the keeping of exotic cats as pets? And was her death the only possible solution? Carte Blanche investigates and discovers there may be more to this story than meets the eye (of the tiger).
Producer: Kate Barry
Research: Sasha Schwendenwein
Presenter: Macfarlane Moleli
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Fort Hare Hit List
It’s just after 4AM on a Friday morning in the Eastern Cape-town of Alice. Despite the hour in this usually quiet neighbourhood, a man casually emerges from the darkness, peaks over a high wall and fires three bullets. The target? The home of Fort Hare’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Sakhele Buhlungu. It’s an unnerving pretext to a murder just weeks later: the victim another senior official at the university. But the reign of terror doesn’t end there. In January this year, Professor Buhlungu’s bodyguard is gunned down in an official vehicle outside the VC’s home. Carte Blanche investigates a university, uncovering decades long fraud and corruption in the process.
Producer: Sipha Kema
Presenter: Masa Kekana
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Cheeky Bikers
Skinny van Schalkwyk is no ordinary woman… A self-declared “biker chick”, she bought her first motorbike – a pink Yamaha R6 – almost two decades ago and has never looked back. From track racing to epic adventure rides and stunts, Skinny lives for the roar of her bike’s engine and the freedom it brings. But she also has a deep love for the outdoors and, six years ago – together with her “sidekick” Chikita – started the annual “Anti-Pants, Anti-Poaching” bike rally. It’s an off-the-wall way of contributing to nature conservation. This year more than 200 trouserless bikers joined them in contributing much-needed cash to the protection of giraffe.
Producer: Stenette Grosskopf
Presenter: Macfarlane Moleli
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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.
