Un-Welfare

With just under 7 million citizens displaced within Ukraine (according to the UN), there is an urgent need for food, water, medicine, clothing, and other basic supplies. Carte Blanche producer Anina Peens joined a group of volunteers to take aid supplies into Ukraine, and it was a long and uncertain journey.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟮𝟭 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟮. In the initial fog of fear around COVID-19 contagion, when the pandemic struck, neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) the world over changed the way they approached infant care. In South Africa’s private hospitals, that meant mitigation strategies that hampered the decades-old skin-to-skin kangaroo nursing method that’s fundamental to the government guideline for care within the NICU. At the height of the pandemic, the most vulnerable paid a very high price. The separation of newborns in need of medical care from their families caused immense suffering for mothers, fathers, and their babies. Carte Blanche investigates why some couples were prevented from even touching their babies, as experts begin calculating the long-term collateral damage including possible impairment of babies’ cognitive, emotional, and social development. We explore the psychological impact of pandemic rules – was the crisis management worth it in the end? Your favourite episodes are now available on Carte Blanche: The Podcast: https://linktr.ee/carteblanchetv

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟮𝟭 𝗠𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯. It’s a growing phenomenon in Gauteng: volunteer paramedics assisting people involved in accidents or other life-threatening situations. Forced to act as a necessary response to scarce emergency services in their communities, ordinary citizens are stepping in to fill the gap. In Brakpan, members of the community underwent self-funded training, and some are now fully qualified first aiders doing what they can to assist until more capable personnel arrive on the scene. Others, though, operate illegally by overstepping the mark and, in some instances, patients have died in their care. One woman has become so brazen that she’s developed a reputation as a vigilante paramedic, endangering the lives of those in desperate need of emergency care. Your favourite episodes are now available on Carte Blanche: The Podcast: https://linktr.ee/carteblanchetv

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝟲 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟭. Do you own a firearm to defend yourself? The publication of the Draft Firearms Control Amendment Bill has been met with a social media firestorm and swift public outcry aimed at the Minister of Police, Bheki Cele. One of the most contentious proposals it contains, is that firearm owners will no longer be able to apply for a gun licence on the basis of self-defence. The bill makes it clear that government wants to reduce the number of firearms in circulation as part of its efforts to curb violent crime. Would it help, for instance, to protect women who live in fear of gender-based violence if the proposal succeeds? The government maintains the proposal is based on solid research and emotions run high on both sides. Carte Blanche investigates the hotly contested topic. #CarteBlanche