Carte Blanche

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟮𝟳 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰. Four out of five boys in South Africa grow up without a positive male role model. The consequences can be devastating: low self-esteem, poor academic performance, and depression. But a non-profit is trying to change that. The Character Company provides mentors for boys across South Africa, changing their lives and futures. On the outskirts of Cape Town, Carte Blanche meets some of these men and the children whose lives have been positively impacted by the movement.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟭𝟬 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰. On an afternoon walk in downtown Johannesburg, street vendors offer a myriad of lethal poisons to eager customers looking for pesticides to kill rodents. But some of these products have been banned for years and the sale of these substances is illegal. Aldicarb is one such chemical which is easily available from vendors. Another known (but legal) chemical is the highly toxic terbufos that can kill grown men within hours. It’s this chemical that investigators from the Department of Health now believe may be behind the tragic deaths of six children who died after consuming food from a local spaza shop in Naledi, Soweto. This follows startling reports of other children around the country who have either died or become critically ill from eating snacks or food bought from spaza shops. Now, as government contends with increasing numbers of reported poisoning, especially in children, Carte Blanche investigates whether the state may ultimately be responsible for these deaths.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟯 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰. In March, we brought you the story of a doctor using her skills to transform the life of one person every month – providing reconstructive surgery to those without the means to access it themselves. Now, the Dr Ansua Foundation is extending its reach through collaborations with public and private organisations.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟮𝟵 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰. In Simon’s Town and Kommetjie in the Western Cape, residents are facing off against a familiar opponent: baboons. For years, both communities have tolerated the growing numbers of baboons moving around the villages in search of food. But, over time, tensions between people and these primates have reached boiling point. The baboons have become so habituated to living in town that they no longer fear people. Several homeowners have reported baboons breaking into their houses, looking for food. Some parents say their children are too afraid to play outside in their gardens. This is a crisis that’s been decades in the making and it’s pitting neighbour against neighbour as frustrated residents turn on each other.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟯 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰. In Mpumalanga, the illicit gold mining industry is worth millions. Thousands of illegal miners, better known as zama zamas, have moved into the Lowveld in a modern-day gold rush, mining abandoned and operational mines. In Sabie, they're endangering the R40-billion forestry industry, digging shafts between trees and destroying vast tracts of valuable land. But it’s not the only town that has been impacted. Pilgrim’s Rest, Barberton and Mbombela are on edge. One of the biggest concerns for communities is the so-called acid baths – rudimentary pool-sized baths filled with dangerous chemicals like cyanide and sulfuric acid which are used to separate gold from ore-bearing rock. They're built next to major rivers supplying local agriculture, and the chemicals are leaking into the groundwater. And that’s not all. Running gun battles between illegal miners and law enforcement have left many community members fearing for their lives. In this two-part special, Carte Blanche investigates the extent and the impacts of the illegal mining that has hijacked the Lowveld.