Verona Goslett – ‘Head Above Water’

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

Many expectant couples have questions about the birth options out there and which choice would be the best for them. This will depend on your pregnancy, how labour unfolds, the health of mom and baby, where you live, and what birth facilities are available in your area.

Farmers and mining companies near Newcastle are in a tug of war over new prospecting applications. Farmers say numerous new coal mining companies are threatening their survival and national food and water security. Find more exclusive content on Carte Blanche: The Podcast: https://linktr.ee/carteblanchetv

Johannesburg ratepayers are fed up. For years, residents have fought the City over exorbitant municipal bills. Then the municipality implemented what it calls “water shifting”: switching off some suburbs’ water to supply others. This left residents without water for hours and sometimes even days at a time. But instead of water bills decreasing, many increased dramatically. In several cases, desperate residents checked their meters and found them spinning out of control despite there being no water in the pipes. Carte Blanche investigates why scores of households are literally paying for the air in their water pipes, instead of the water they consume. Find more exclusive content on Carte Blanche: The Podcast: https://linktr.ee/carteblanchetv