Hysterectomy hell

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 𝟭𝟲 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯. In April this year, a nightmare unfolded in the hotel rooms of two South Africans working in Equatorial Guinea. They were bundled from their beds, accused of possessing drugs, and thrown into one of the continent’s most notorious prisons. Both men were hopeful they’d be exonerated and finally come home. Sadly, that hasn’t been the case. Your favourite episodes are now available on Carte Blanche: The Podcast: https://linktr.ee/carteblanchetv

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟮𝟲 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯. In 2013, Daniel Janse van Rensburg was illegally detained for more than 400 days in one of Equatorial Guinea’s worst prisons. Notorious for the brutalisation and neglect of prisoners, inmates at Black Beach are denied visiting rights and medical treatment. After eventually being released and returning to South Africa, Daniel sued the country’s vice president, Teodorin Obiang, the man he believes had him incarcerated at Black Beach. In 2021, the Western Cape High Court awarded him R39 million for his losses and suffering and illegal incarceration and ordered the attachment of Obiang’s assets. Then, on the 9th of February this year, two days after a super yacht belonging to Obiang was seized in Cape Town, two South African citizens were detained in Equatorial Guinea and sent to Black Beach. Coincidence or a perverse act of revenge? Your favourite episodes are now available on Carte Blanche: The Podcast: https://linktr.ee/carteblanchetv

“The message is quite clear that our oceans are not for sale”. Lead attorney in the Shell seismic survey matter, Ricky Stone (Cullinan & Associates) feels the dismissing of the interdict is devastating, but believes that’s the beauty of law, “that’s what inspires us to keep going”, he explains. As the petroleum giant forges ahead with its planned seismic survey, where does that leave the legal process and those whose voices are reaching a crescendo on social media?