Episode Information

The deeper the dig, the darker the secrets. When Jolynn Minnaar first heard about the fracking in the Karoo, her home district, she was optimistic. Companies seeking to drill in this semi-arid area of South Africa promised that the new process of gas extraction was a safe, time-tested one; a practice that would bring widespread prosperity for the poor, rural Karoo communities. But after stumbling across a rumoured case of water contamination in Pennsylvania, Jolynn is drawn into a investigation which takes her across the United States – the home of the fracking technology – in search of answers. Her discoveries leave her horrified. As the South African government lifts the moratorium on fracking, the race against time begins to share her findings with the residents of the Karoo – before it’s too late.