Carte Blanche: The Podcast

Let Them Eat Pap

A sanctioned Russian oligarch, a multi-billion rand Manganese mine and the impoverished communities in the Northern Cape that should’ve benefited from a lucrative deal. We investigate why it all went wrong.

10 Aug 2023 22 min

Dancing with Putin

A former president, South Africa’s political entanglements, and the dance with Putin's Russia. Does a friendship with Russia jeopardise South Africa’s future?

9 Aug 2023 11 min

Broadcast Bandit

We investigate a man of many incarnations: film director, television distributor, doctor and now, pastor. Why do his victims claim he’s duped them out of hundreds of thousands of rands? After a year-long investigation, we track down the notorious Netflix Scammer.

8 Aug 2023 12 min

The WholeWeek Wrap with Daily Maverick (7 August 2023)

Symbolic or a veiled threat? We look at the latest debate swirling around Kill The Boer. Then, illegal mining is top of mind for many Joburg residents. So, what’s the solution? And we celebrate Women’s Month while also taking a very sober look at what can be done to empower…

7 Aug 2023 17 min

Black Dust

As the influx of coal trucks to Richards Bay keeps escalating, stockpiles are popping up like mushrooms with scant regard to rules and regulations. How will the residents survive clouds of black dust permeating the air they breathe?

3 Aug 2023 12 min

Grid Gremlins

As Eskom continues to teeter on the edge, we ask what disaster management plans have been put in place should the unthinkable happen.

2 Aug 2023 12 min

Banyana Banyana - Road to Glory

Train harder, play with power and perseverance, show no mercy. They've been called SA's beacon of hope, the pride of the nation. But what will it take for Banyana Banyana to win the upcoming World Cup?

1 Aug 2023 13 min

The WholeWeek Wrap with Daily Maverick (31 July 2023)

Putin won't be attending the BRICS Summit, but SA's Russia headache is far from over. Then, why did it take so long for Paul Mashatile's VIP Protection Unit to get arrested? And we get excited about the Netball World Cup.

31 Jul 2023 18 min

Broken Peace: A Westbury Story

Westbury - an area with a rich history and a violent present. Located on the outskirts of Johannesburg, the region has been plagued by gangsterism for decades. But individuals like gangster-turned-pastor, Peter Faver hope to turn things around and save the community from a bloody future.

28 Jul 2023 24 min

Bested by Bester

"A web of lies, eager accomplices and the dramatic escape of Thabo Bester. But his freedom was short-lived. Now, a former Mangaung Prison guard pieces together the clues. "

26 Jul 2023 11 min

Tourists Under Siege

Criminals are terrorising the streets of Mthatha. But it’s tourists who’ve become easy targets for card scammers. With no evidence, and no police investigation, the visitors fear coming back to South Africa.

24 Jul 2023 11 min

Shooting for Success

In a community overcome by drug abuse and teen pregnancy, one woman is using sports to bring change. Now, a battered netball court has become the building blocks for a better future.

24 Jul 2023 10 min

The WholeWeek Wrap with Daily Maverick (24 July 2023)

Will Zuma be sent back to prison? First, he needs to come back to South Africa. Then, medical xenophobia comes under the spotlight this week. And why every day should be Mandela Day.

23 Jul 2023 16 min

Runner's Rage

On the running calendar, the Comrades Marathon is the toughest race on earth. Local and international competitors train for months, sometimes even years, for the opportunity to complete the brutal 89 km run. For the last-place finishers, the medal is priceless: confirmation that they’ve completed the race before the 12-hour…

20 Jul 2023 10 min

Empty Harvest

For days, heavy rains in the Western Cape wreaked havoc on the province. With no electricity and no food supplies coming in, Citrusdal was cut off and farmers suffered devastating losses. We visit a community in turmoil.

19 Jul 2023 11 min

'Til the Wheels Come Off

When robbing Peter to pay Paul – and then paying Peter again – becomes the basis for one of the most elaborate Ponzi schemes in automotive history... The next chapter in SA’s great car Ponzi scheme.

18 Jul 2023 16 min

The WholeWeek Wrap with Daily Maverick (16 July 2023)

The scandals keep piling up against South Africa’s Deputy President. But all is perhaps not what it seems. A little help from his friends? In the case of Joburg Mayor, Kabelo Gwamanda, it seems that’s exactly what’s happening. And a small victory in a monumental fight as Caster Semenya is…

17 Jul 2023 17 min

The Mobster, The Beauty Queen and The Hitmen

The assassinations of two Bulgarians in a quiet suburb in Cape Town in 2018. A cargo ship carrying tonnes of cocaine seized in Saldanha Bay in 2021. And now, four Bulgarians brutally murdered in a leafy lane in Constantia. A startling coincidence or clear signs of a foreign criminal cartel…

13 Jul 2023 15 min

Dead Man Driving

As Britain’s most notorious insurance fraudster once said: pretending you’re dead is easy. Coming back to life is, as everyone knows, slightly more difficult. We investigate how one couple’s fake death scam unravelled spectacularly.

12 Jul 2023 11 min

A Better Ending

It's what they do and who they are… The Betereinders: working toward a more equal, more integrated, better South Africa! Facing the difficult conversations and deliberately getting to know people of other races in the hopes of transforming SA, one new friendship at a time.

11 Jul 2023 9 min