Carte Blanche is a South African investigative journalism television series that airs on local television network M-Net, on Sunday nights. It premiered in 1988 and focuses on investigation into corruption, consumer issues, and current events.
Contents
History
Carte Blanche began its broadcast 28 August 1988, anchored by Derek Watts and Ruda Landman. Landman left the show in 2007; the same year Bongani Bingwa became a presenter.
In January 2010, two spinoff series, Carte Blanche Medical and Carte Blanche Consumer, began. Carte Blanche Medical premiered on 18 January 2010 and was anchored by Bongani Bingwa, while Carte Blanche Consumer, premiering on 24 January 2010, was anchored by Devi Sankaree Govender. Both series, which ran for four seasons, were cancelled in 2011. Shortly thereafter, on 24 January 2011, Carte Blanche Extra launched, but was cancelled after only airing 10 episodes.
To celebrate 25 years on air on 1 September 2013, Carte Blanche broadcast from the Telkom Joburg Tower in Hillbrow, closed to the public in 1981 during a state of emergency. A book Carte Blanche 25: The Stories Behind the Stories was published, looking at memorable moments behind the scenes of South Africa's longest running current affairs show.
A Carte Blanche channel featuring coverage of the Trial of Oscar Pistorius was launched on DStv on 2 March 2014.
Presenters
Derek Watts (1988–2023) †
Ruda Landman (1988-2007)
Devi Sankaree Govender (2002–2020)
John Webb (2004 - 2022)
Bonita Nuttall (2007–2015)
Bongani Bingwa (2007–2023)
Claire Mawisa (2015–present)
Macfarlane Moleli (2018–present)
Masa Kekana (2020–present)
Erin Bates (2023–present)
Govan Whittles (2023–present)
Lourensa Eckard (2023–present)
Xola Ntshinga (2023–present)
Carte Blanche Making a Difference Trust
To celebrate 20 years on air in 2008, Carte Blanche launched the Making a Difference (MAD) Trust to raise funds for specialised paediatric units in selected state hospitals and several welfare organisations across South Africa. The Trust has undertaken major paediatric ward revitalisation and capital building projects around the country and has completed over 20 projects to date.
Apart from several infrastructural upgrades at two child welfare organisations, the Carte Blanche Making a Difference Trust has in previous years supported feeding schemes and assisted in providing food parcels and managing supplies at Inchanga in KZN and Johannesburg Child Welfare and Johannesburg Parent and Child Counselling Centres in greater Johannesburg and at Hartebeespoort Dam in the North-West province.
Major Projects
Paediatric Emergency Unit
Paediatric Lower High Care Unit
Dedicated Paediatric High Care Wards
Paediatric Burns Outpatient Department
Neonatal and Paediatric Intensive Care Units
Paediatric ICU
Paediatric Theatre
BHP Billiton Paediatric Centre of Excellence
Paediatric Facilities Upgrade
Neonatal ICU Improvements
New Equipment and Facility Modernisation
Paediatric High Care Ward
Equipment Upgrades
New Doctors' Rooms
Notable Awards
Carte Blanche has been nominated for hundreds of awards over the past three decades, with over 200 wins behind the show's name.