Coming up on Carte Blanche on M-Net & M-Net HD [101], Sunday 25 September 2022 at 19:00.
Legacy Issues
Two South African men are wanted by the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service. Having taught at some of Britain’s most prestigious boarding schools, they have now been charged with a slew of sexual assault offences – dating back over 40 years – involving schoolboys as young as nine. The men were arrested in Cape Town in 2019, where they are living out their retirement while resisting extradition. Carte Blanche investigates the rules governing extradition in their case and reveals the brutal traditions of violence, sexual abuse, bullying, and secrecy that allowed generations of boys to suffer. We speak to men who were targeted and brutalised as boys and have now blown the lid on the posh education system that promised to set them up for life. Instead, it left them deeply scarred, with parents often unwilling to let their complaints get in the way of academic and social progress.
Producer: Carol Albertyn Christie
Presenter: Macfarlane Moleli
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Medical Aid Misery
Is it a case of money before members? Health Squared sold itself as a ‘dynamic, new-age medical scheme that is continuously challenging the status quo by delivering more of the healthcare benefits you need’. But for three years, it operated well under the mandatory solvency threshold of 25 percent without a word of caution to its members. Even as the financial situation deteriorated post-pandemic, with a rapidly dwindling membership and an above-average claims ratio from pensioners, members were oblivious that the writing was on the wall. When the axe finally fell, and the scheme applied for voluntary liquidation, members on chronic treatment for life-threatening diseases had mere days to scramble for alternative cover. The bombshell came in defiance of a bid by the Council for Medical Schemes to appoint a curator to protect members. In a lifeline to some, the court ruled that 54 members on dialysis would have their treatment and medication covered until the end of September, or until they joined another scheme. Carte Blanche investigates what this means for patients experiencing grave, life-altering risks.
Producer: Kate Barry
Presenter: Masa Kekana
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Formula 1 in SA
Ours is a country with a deep love of motorsports – from the first Grand Prix in East London in the 1930s to the iconic Kyalami Circuit in 1993. Icons like Andretti, Lauda, Mansell, Schumacher, and Jody Scheckter raced the Kyalami track with its 60 000 seats and unique atmosphere. Now, the race-obsessed country has been holding its breath as talks resumed to have Formula 1 return after 30 years. Sir Lewis Hamilton, F1’s sweetheart and seven-time World Drivers’ Championship title holder, has repeatedly voiced his support to have the race return to our shores. Then there are the fans, like Hammanskraal sculptor Hendrik Chebanga, who has crafted intricate vehicles to celebrate his life-long passion for racing (and for Hamilton). If Formula 1 does return to the continent, it would call Kyalami home. So, what does it take to host this global event, and why did it not work out for 2023? And might there be good news for fans about 2024 with negotiations already underway in London? Carte Blanche explores the reasons it should make a local comeback.
Producer: Floris Kotze
Presenter: Derek Watts
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Please note Carte Blanche line-ups are subject to change.
