Avatar photo

By Hein Kaiser

Journalist


Listen – Carte Blanche Podcast: Digging into the SAA, Takatso deal

Once routinely rated the continent’s best airline, SAA is now a shadow of its former self after a difficult business rescue.


South African Airways has been shorn of planes and personnel to ease the pressure it places on the fiscus, and after years of taxpayer-funded subsidies, a majority share in the airline has been sold to a private consortium for what some experts say is a fraction of its value.

So, how much is SAA truly worth? R3 billion? R6 billion? R10 billion? Or perhaps R3 000 000 051 in operating capital and shares the chosen equity partner will stump up…

Carte Blanche crunches the numbers. 

Listen to the full podcast here:

Listen to Carte Blanche podcasts on The Citizen

Carte Blanche has launched an ongoing series of podcasts as the show continues to roll out its digital strategy.

The podcasts will feature broadcast stories, enhanced with narration by Executive Producer and broadcaster John Webb.

Said Webb: “In addition to our other digital channels like YouTube and social feeds, podcasts will make our content available to a wider audience and enables consumption in more environments”.

Whether driving to work or on a treadmill, Webb said that distribution of content across multiple channels and its customization for same, will serve the show’s editorial content to viewers who may want a second helping or, if broadcasts were missed.

New episodes will be made available every week on all major podcast platforms, giving not only local audiences access to storytelling that is distinctively Carte Blanche, but also enabling international listeners an opportunity to either reconnect with, or discover the Carte Blanche experience. 

It will also build a solid audio library that also serves as a centre of memory, narrating some of the most important issues, characters and stories in South Africa’s timeline.

Episodes will bring an extraordinary story to life, said Webb. He added: “Whether it’s trekking along the West Coast in search of diamonds or boarding a helicopter to witness a security net closing in on illegal miners”. 

He added: “We are investigators and journalists at heart, but our passion lies in storytelling. Our venture into podcasting has been a natural evolution, and I’m delighted by the quality of our offering. It’s truly gripping content.” 

It’s the Carte Blanche storytelling that viewers have come to love, packaged in a way that is immersive. The podcasts have been designed with the theatre of the mind, in mind.

For more news your way

Download our app and read this and other great stories on the move. Available for Android and iOS.