[FROM THE ARCHIVES] The Extraordinary Life of Emmanuel Taban

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟱 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟭𝟴. For years, analysts, banks and rating agencies promoted global retailer Steinhoff as a sound investment. With 40 brands under its belt, and operating in over 30 territories, the retail giant was one of the top performers on world markets. That is until the house of cards came tumbling down. Billionaire businessman and former chairman of the company, Christo Wiese, is suing Steinhoff for R59 billion. But was he really unaware of the accounting fraud and financial irregularities happening right under his nose? We put Wiese in the hot seat. 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 𝟭𝟭 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰. War is brewing in the Red Sea as Yemen’s Houthi rebel forces launch attacks on commercial ships in protest against Israel’s war on Gaza. For multinational companies trading and shipping between Asia and Europe, the Suez Canal has now become a high-risk zone. This hostile disruption in world trade has created an opportunity for South Africa to boost its own flagging economy by offering services to ships re-routed past the Cape. It is an extraordinary detour, with hundreds of ships sailing for an extra 10 to 14 days to ensure safe passage through calmer African waters. But these ships appear to be giving South Africa a wide berth, preferring more efficient refuelling stops in Namibia and Mozambique. Why was Transnet so ill-prepared to take advantage of this potential economic windfall? Find more exclusive content on Carte Blanche: The Podcast: https://linktr.ee/carteblanchetv

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟭𝟬 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰. In a quiet office in Johannesburg, Captain Keshi Mabunda mulls over a docket. It’s a startling murder case: a woman who allegedly killed two of her relatives to collect multi-million rand payouts from their life insurance policies. This investigation is eerily similar to another case that Mabunda solved, and SAPS top brass have requested his assistance. In 2021, Mabunda was instrumental in the investigation that led to the arrest and conviction of notorious serial murderer, Rosemary Ndlovu. But even for a seasoned police officer, this is a dangerous job and the bodyguards who occasionally accompany him suggest that Mabunda’s life is on the line. Carte Blanche meets the man behind the badge. Find more exclusive content on Carte Blanche: The Podcast: https://linktr.ee/carteblanchetv