[FROM THE ARCHIVES] Beitbridge Border Bribes

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟮𝟯 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰. In Molepolole, the largest village in Botswana, 44 identical graves lie side-by-side in the community cemetery. The burial site stands as a memorial for the scores of people killed in a horrific bus crash across the border in South Africa. Just days before the start of the Easter celebrations, busloads of worshippers travelled from across Southern Africa to Moria in Limpopo for the annual ZCC pilgrimage. But these Batswana pilgrims and their bus driver never made it to the sacred place of worship. Instead, the speeding bus plunged over the bridge on the Mmamatlakala Pass. There was just one survivor – an eight-year-old girl who escaped with just minor injuries. But what really happened on the bridge? This dangerous hairpin bend on the R518 has become notorious for serious accidents and, while the authorities have suggested speeding as the primary cause of the crash, could something else have contributed to the tragic outcome? Now, Carte Blanche examines the state of the barriers before the accident on Maundy Thursday. Find more exclusive content on Carte Blanche: The Podcast: https://linktr.ee/carteblanchetv

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟯𝟬 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰. In March 2022, Russia did the unthinkable: Eight years after the first Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2014, thousands of Russian troops crossed the border as Vladimir Putin carried out his long-standing threat to invade the country again. Chernobyl, home to the world’s most notorious nuclear power station, was captured and hundreds of people were trapped. Then Russian troops occupying the area began to withdraw. Now, more than two years since the war began, Carte Blanche goes inside the exclusion zone to examine why keeping Chernobyl out of Russian hands was critical to Ukraine’s fightback. Find more exclusive content on Carte Blanche: The Podcast: https://linktr.ee/carteblanchetv

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟮𝟰 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰. In November last year, a ten-year-old girl was found during a routine traffic roadblock, squashed inside the luggage compartment of a long-distance bus. She had been smuggled from Zimbabwe into South Africa under extreme conditions for several hours. But her case isn’t unusual. In this months-long investigation, Carte Blanche unravels alleged cross-border human trafficking and the shadowy figures known as transporters who are making it all possible. Undocumented foreign nationals are lured to South Africa from numerous African countries – many of them ending up on the streets of Johannesburg North. Thousands of Malawians are lured into the country on the promise of a new life, some smuggled by long-haul bus companies and funeral parlours, only to be forced into sex work and manual labour. In an even more sinister twist, many of the victims are coerced into taking out funeral policies on themselves once they reach South Africa. It’s an unusual demand but a guaranteed income as the transporters cash in on vulnerable undocumented foreign nationals. Find more exclusive content on Carte Blanche: The Podcast: https://linktr.ee/carteblanchetv

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟮𝟯 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰. In Gauteng, high-end motorbikes are in demand. Gangs move through suburbs in the dead of night, scouting neighbourhoods for these valuable bikes. Homing in on their target, cracking locks, disabling alarms – they’re masters of their craft. And as quietly as they arrive, they vanish into the darkness with their hot property. The bikes are offloaded on the black market in neighbouring countries through a network of cross-border connections ensuring they disappear for good. Now, a team of private security investigators are on the gangs’ trail and Carte Blanche has exclusive access to this exhilarating takedown. Find more exclusive content on Carte Blanche: The Podcast: https://linktr.ee/carteblanchetv