‘It’s great to be back in the chair’ – LIRA

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟮𝟴 𝗝𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰. In Hartbeespoort, Gauteng millions of tiny insects are hard at work, eradicating the water hyacinth suffocating the dam. It’s an invasive South American weed that, when left to bloom, depletes the oxygen in the water, killing fish and preventing boats from using the dam. For years, the Madibeng Local Municipality has tried unsuccessfully to eliminate the weed, but it always grows back. Now, scientists have introduced water hyacinth planthoppers: host-specific natural enemies of water hyacinth. But this new attempt to kill off the weed hasn’t been without controversy. Find more exclusive content on Carte Blanche: The Podcast: https://linktr.ee/carteblanchetv

After a hair-raising encounter in Zone 41, Forty is determined to catch Andrew McKenzie’s killer and solve the complicated mysteries swirling around him.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟯𝟭 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰. In KwaZulu-Natal, commercial farmers are on edge. While they own the land they farm on, government owns the minerals that lie underneath, and it’s giving scores of upstart coal companies prospecting licences and rights to mine. Tensions between farmers and mining groups in Newcastle are at an all-time high as the coal prospectors move in by the dozen to mine what’s left of the area’s coal reserve. For farmers, what’s equally concerning is the risk to vital water sources like the town’s main dam that provides drinking water to hundreds of thousands of people. Who are these opportunistic mining companies and why are they being allowed to mine in sensitive and protected areas? Find more exclusive content on Carte Blanche: The Podcast: https://linktr.ee/carteblanchetv

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟭𝟰 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰. It began as an investigation into one Gauteng midwife who was allegedly administering a dangerous drug to her patients to induce labour without their consent. The drug sped up the delivery, sending the unborn baby into distress; several newborns allegedly died in the process. But it seems she isn’t the only midwife playing recklessly with the lives of vulnerable pregnant women and their babies. Startling new evidence has revealed that some midwives at private home birthing centres are operating outside their scope of practice – possibly in the pursuit of profit. In some instances, midwives insist on delivering the baby even when it’s in distress, because sending the patient to a nearby hospital means losing money. Carte Blanche investigates. Find more exclusive content on Carte Blanche: The Podcast: https://linktr.ee/carteblanchetv