UNCAPTURED & UNWAVERING: Watch Carte Blanche, this Sunday 11 April 2021 at 19:00, only on M-Net 101.
F R O N T L I N E S
Derek Watts: “The Islamic State led attack on Palma in Mozambique is one of the most horrific situations a father and two sons could face. And there are thousands of families who went through this same hell on earth. Many didn’t make it. May they rest in peace.”
Mozambique Under Siege
President Cyril Ramaphosa has been invited to Maputo with other high-level leaders of the Southern African Development Community to assess the growing Islamic State-linked threat in the region. This follows as eyewitness accounts and disturbing video evidence emerged in the last week of vicious attacks on the town of Palma, on civilians and workers on the gas fields in northern Mozambique that saw 50 South Africans flee and one killed. Last year, we reported on the largely under-reported skirmishes since 2017 in Cabo Delgado province between the Islamist group Ansar al-Sunna, security forces and civilians. Now, the US State Department has dubbed the group ISIS-Mozambique, blacklisting its leader Abu Yasir Hassan. The violence and humanitarian crisis have escalated and over 535,000 people have been displaced from their homes and the United Nations forecasts that tens of thousands more might be affected. Carte Blanche speaks to some of the South African survivors.
Producer: Nicky Troll
Presenter: Derek Watts
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Uncaptured and Unwavering
A whistleblower is someone who bravely walks into a proverbial fire, eyes wide open, hoping to expose the truth, knowing it could be at great personal cost. Whistleblowing is not easy and it’s not done lightly, but it’s an action that can change the world. That’s what former Trillian Financial Advisory CEO Mosilo Mothepu did when, three months after landing a dream job at the subsidiary of the Gupta-linked Trillian Capital Partners in 2016, she handed details of the company’s role in state capture to then-Public Protector Thuli Madonsela. For a long time, the Nenegate whistleblower tried to stay out of the public eye. Now, she is ready to tell the story of state capture from inside the boardroom. A story of powerful interests, of betrayal and loss, of triumph and angels who helped her along the way. As she rebuilds her life, her inspiring story of courage against the dark forces of greed and a weaponised state security apparatus highlights why South Africa needs to rethink its treatment of whistleblowers.
Producer: Joy Summers
Presenter: Masa Kekana
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L I F E
Banking on Red Gold
It’s an ancient spice that was domesticated during the Bronze Age in Greece and has long been the most expensive agricultural commodity by weight – currently selling at around R200,000 per kilogramme. Lending a unique and much sought-after taste to cooking and useful in medicines and dye production, saffron is “red gold” and the international demand has never waned. Now, from the vast expanses of the Northern Cape to Gauteng, Carte Blanche meets local farmers who are unfurling the secrets of the exquisite purple flower that produces only three precious strands as they’re working to set up a local saffron industry for the export market.
Producer: Sasha Schwendenwein
Presenter: Macfarlane Moleli
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To Bee or Not to Bee
Being stung by a bee can be a painful – and sometimes deadly – experience that most people try to avoid at all costs. But a handful of individuals are seeking out bees to willingly get stung a few times every week. It forms part of a regime that they say is helping them heal from inflammation as they try to provoke their immune systems into producing an anti-inflammatory response. While there has been a death reported from live bee acupuncture in recent years, Carte Blanche meets women who are pinning their hopes on bee stings.
Producer: Tarryn Crossman
Presenter: Bongani Bingwa
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Please note: Carte Blanche line-ups are subject to change. Stories can be viewed at www.carteblanche.co.za
