Post-Blind Profile: Lora Joplin

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟯𝟬 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯. South Africa’s friendship with Russia is a political football that temporarily came to rest last week. On Friday, the High Court confirmed that we’d be required to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes were he to attend the BRICS summit in Johannesburg next month. The Department of Justice has now requested a warrant of arrest, while the Presidency confirmed that Putin will attend the summit virtually. It’s a temporary solution to a diplomatic impasse – arrest a high-profile guest or refuse and violate international law – but the debate around Russia’s engagement in Africa is far from settled. Is modern Russia a colonial power bent on exploiting the continent, or does it remain the Soviet friend of its liberation movements? Carte Blanche examines this political quagmire. Your favourite episodes are now available on Carte Blanche: The Podcast: https://linktr.ee/carteblanchetv

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟮𝟱 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯. For years, Krasimir Kamenov had a fearsome reputation as a mobster on the streets of Bulgaria. But for over a decade, he was hiding out in Constantia, living the high life with his beauty queen wife and entourage while socialising with other ex-patriate Bulgarians. Now Kamenov is dead, brutally assassinated with his family and staff. The murders remain a mystery despite an ongoing police investigation. It seems Eastern European criminals have come to Cape Town to set up stations for drug trafficking and the exploitation of South Africa’s unprotected coastline, its porous ports and lacklustre policing. Much of this is happening in the leafy lanes of well-to-do suburbs where neighbours turn a blind eye to the comings and goings of glamourous foreigners. Carte Blanche investigates. Your favourite episodes are now available on Carte Blanche: The Podcast: https://linktr.ee/carteblanchetv

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟮𝟰 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟮. The Master’s Office – probably one of the most powerful institutions in the country that you rarely, if ever, think of. It’s here that deceased, insolvent estates and trusts are processed. But something has been amiss in the liquidations division, and recently two high-ranking officials were suspended in the Master’s Office in Pretoria. Simply doing their jobs, they say their suspensions are based on trumped-up charges and allege there are powerful political forces that want them gone. Carte Blanche goes in search of answers as more high-profile state capture companies fold.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟭𝟮 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯. Has there been a State of the Nation Address delivered amidst more discontent in post-democracy South Africa than Cyril Ramaphosa’s address this week? Having once encouraged voters to “thuma mina” (send me), the President’s seventh SONA comes at a time of unprecedented anger and frustration. This Sunday, Carte Blanche views SONA 2023 through the eyes of the ANC’s traditional constituency in Khayelitsha and follows veteran social activists as they prepare to make their voices heard on one of Parliament’s most important days. Your favourite episodes are now available on Carte Blanche: The Podcast: https://bit.ly/PodcastCB