Coming up on Carte Blanche on M-Net & M-Net HD [101], Sunday 15 October 2023 at 19:00.
Israel-Hamas War
Last week’s sudden, deadly attacks by Hamas on Israel have been met by a declaration of war and near-relentless bombing of targets in Gaza by the Israeli military. It’s a conflict that once more threatens to engulf the region with the drums of war sounding across the border in Lebanon and heightened fighting talk from the government of Iran. Elsewhere, pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrations have erupted in several cities, including Johannesburg. And, as the U.S. sends a navy battlegroup bristling with the latest in military technology to the region, the world braces for a conflict that might yet spread beyond the middle east. Carte Blanche reflects on the week’s events and crosses to Tel Aviv for the latest.
Producer: Laura Byrne
Joburg Undermined
In the barren landscape of Joburg’s artisanal mining underworld, we explore the shafts and sewers where, slowly but surely, zama zamas are encroaching on the city’s critical infrastructure. From makeshift bush kitchens to perilous underground tunnels excavated in search of gold, we reveal the harsh reality of their lives. These illegal miners are eking out a living underneath the City of Gold. But at what cost? As environmental decay and armed violence take their toll on Johannesburg, Carte Blanche heads underground and emerges with a disturbing answer.
Producer: Hein Kaiser
Presenter: Lourensa Eckard
Watch the Trailer
Unsung Hero
When East London’s Jono Kruger saw the grim reality of poverty early in his life, it changed him forever. Even before becoming a teacher, he founded an NGO to develop young people through sport. Last year, we told the story of what Jono and the pupils in his care managed to achieve through Sport for Lives, raising millions for schoolmates in need. Following our broadcast, a local benefactor stepped up to boost their mission. Now, boasting an additional 30 coaches, the organisation teaches literacy and sports in five schools every day. We celebrate a man who embodies the commitment not to turn away from suffering and instead pay every gain forward to drive personal and community transformation.
Producer: Tarryn Crossman
Presenter: Masa Kekana
Watch the Trailer
WATCH AGAIN: Be a Good Sport
This story originally aired on 24 July 2022. It’s the great South African love story: the nation and their sport. At school, making the first team in any sport is a rite of passage and parents and teachers sacrifice everything for a win and prestige. But now, a new movement is taking root: From the boys of the Eastern Cape’s high-performance Selborne and Graeme Colleges, to the elite Hilton College and girls of St Anne’s in KwaZulu-Natal – pupils are going from athletes to activists. Harnessing the passion and commitment of sport for causes higher than their own advancement, Carte Blanche meets the exceptional young players who found a way to make the personal glory mean more and, ultimately, create a positive change in the world.
Carte Blanche: The Podcast
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