Parcel of Death recounts the little-told life story of Onkgopotse Abram Tiro, the first South African freedom fighter the apartheid regime pursued beyond the country’s borders to assassinate with a parcel bomb.

On 29 April 1972, Tiro made one of the most consequential revolutionary addresses in South African history. Dubbed the Turfloop Testimony, Tiro’s anti-apartheid speech saw him and many of his fellow student activists expelled, igniting a series of strikes in tertiary institutions across the country. By the time he went into exile in Botswana, Tiro was president of the Southern African Student Movement (SASM), permanent organiser of the South African Student Organisation (SASO) and a leading Black Consciousness proponent, hailed by many as the ‘godfather’ of the June 1976 uprisings.

Parcel of Death uses extensive and exclusive interviews to highlight significant influences and periods in Tiro’s life, including the lessons learned from his rural upbringing in Dinokana, Zeerust, the time he spent working on a manganese mine, his role as a teacher and the impact of his faith in shaping his outlook. It is a compelling portrait of Tiro’s story and its lasting significance in South Africa’s history.

‘A biography of Onkgopotse Tiro, who was at once a catalyst and an active change agent in the South African struggle for freedom, is long overdue. For generations to come, this book will be a source of valuable information and inspiration.’ – MOSIBUDI MANGENA

Everyone is programmed a little differently, and Bill Gates' unique insight led to business triumphs that are now widely known: the twenty-year-old who dropped out of Harvard to start a software company that became an industry giant and changed the way the world works and lives; the billionaire many times over who turned his attention to philanthropic pursuits to address climate change, global health, and U.S. education.

Source Code is not about Microsoft or the Gates Foundation or the future of technology. It’s the human, personal story of how Bill Gates became who he is today: his childhood, his early passions and pursuits. It’s the story of his principled grandmother and ambitious parents, his first deep friendships and the sudden death of his best friend; of his struggles to fit in and his discovery of a world of coding and computers in the dawn of a new era; of embarking in his early teens on a path that took him from midnight escapades at a nearby computer center to his college dorm room, where he sparked a revolution that would change the world.

Bill Gates tells this, his own story, for the first time: wise, warm, revealing, it’s a fascinating portrait of an American life.

You may have read GG Alcock’s books about the kasi economy; now follow his journey to the dynamic world of KasiNomics and learn about the tribal forces that shaped him.

Born White Zulu Bred is the story of a white child and his brother raised in poverty in a Zulu community in rural South Africa during the apartheid era. His extraordinary parents, Creina and Neil Alcock, gave up lives of comfort and privilege to live and work among the destitute people of Msinga, whose material and social well-being became their mission. But more than that, this is a story about life in South Africa today which, through GG’s unique perspective, explores the huge diversity of the country’s people – from tribal Zulu warriors to sophisticated urban black township entrepreneurs. A journey from the arid wastes of Msinga into the thriving informal economies of urban townships.

GG’s view is that we do not live in a black and white world but in a world of contrast and diversity, one which he wants South Africans, and a world audience, to see for what it is without descending into racial and historical clichés. He takes us through the mazes of township marketplaces, shacks and crowded streets to reveal the proud and dignified world of township entrepreneurs who are transforming South Africa’s economy. This is the world that he moves in today as a successful businessman, still walking those spaces and celebrating the vibrant informal economies that are taking part in the KasiNomic Revolution.

GG’s story is about being truly African, even as a white person, and it draws on the adventures, the cultural challenges, the informal spaces and the future possibilities of South Africa.

As grootoog seun in die ou Oos-Transvaal het Louis Jansen van Vuuren nooit kon dink dat hy eendag die Franse kunswerke in ’n ensiklopie in sy pa se studeerkamer in lewende lywe sou sien nie, wat nog te sê dat hy ’n château in die Franse platteland sou besit.

Louis se liefde vir alles wat Frans is, is so aansteeklik dat ’n rits ander Suid-Afrikaners die afgelope paar jaar ook blyplekke in die Boussac-omgewing gekoop het. In Biltong en Dior deel hy kostelike vertellings oor hoe inkommers in ’n vreemde land met ’n haas onleerbare taal en eiesoortige gewoontes moet oorleef.

Hulle tel baie op oor Franse styl en kultuur, maar die Franse leer ook iets oor Suid-Afrikaners se onblusbare ondernemingsgees en gasvryheid. Sy stories word verryk met boeiende brokkies oor die Franse geskiedenis, taal en kultuur.

Uiteindelik gee hierdie Afrikaanse Fransman se lewe in die vreemde gee hom ook ’n nuwe waardering vir dit wat hom uniek en trots Suid-Afrikaans maak.

When he died in 2014, author Chris van Wyk left behind an impressive literary legacy. The scope of his work was broad – poetry, children’s books, short stories and biographies. But perhaps he is best remembered for his memoir Shirley, Goodness & Mercy, which chronicles his growing up in Riverlea and introduces us to the colourful characters who helped to shape his life and inform the stories he wrote.

The public persona of this witty and wise raconteur was well known, but behind it was a family man, who liked nothing better than to spend time with his two sons Kevin and Karl, his wife and childhood sweetheart Kathy, and the friends and family who were his primary sources of inspiration.

Using the unique vantage point of oldest son, Kevin van Wyk’s astute observations of his father and the strong bond they enjoyed throughout Chris’s life have resulted in a memoir that is as affectionate as it is entertaining. In taking us behind the scenes into the Van Wyk household, we witness the inner workings of the mind of a storyteller, from the flowering of his father’s activism, wit and wisdom to the sources of his occasional quirky outbursts. If storytelling runs in the genes, Kevin may just be proof that his father’s spirit lives on.

Frank Rautenbach left South Africa for Los Angeles with stars in his eyes. After having great success with Egoli, 7de laan and movies like Faith like Potatoes and The Bang-Bang Club he thought the world was his oyster.

After years of trying and driving more than 10 000 kilometres to one failed audition after the other Frank had to find a job - a proper job that could put food on his table. He ended up driving a taxi in Los Angeles, just to lose that job too.

Eventually became the church's janitor.

But Frank felt betrayed - God promised him a life of abundance - why hasn't he received it yet? Frank felt like all God’s promises had come to nothing; he felt angry and embarrassed.

Frank had to learn that he couldn't ask God to make all this dreams come true, he is in God's service, not the other way around. Life is not about him, it is about God.

Nolitha Fakude grew up as a shopkeeper’s daughter in the Eastern Cape, studied at the University of FortHare and then entered the workplace in 1990 as a graduate trainee at Woolworths. Subsequently, she has worked in very senior positions at some major blue-chip companies, including Woolworths, Nedbank and Sasol. She was also managing director and then president of the Black Management Forum (BMF).

Over a career spanning 29 years, Nolitha spearheaded programmes that ensure the development of women and marginalised communities in the workplace and society. A passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion, she has earned a well-deserved reputation as a corporate activist.

Nolitha is held in high regard within business circles and serves on numerous boards including the JSE Limited, Anglo American plc and Afrox Limited. Although Boardroom Dancing is her personal journey, it is also a lesson for South Africans committed to the transformation of boardrooms and the economy, and for women looking for role models as they climb corporate ladders and become thought-leaders

Nolitha Fakude was born in Cenyu a small village in the Eastern Cape outside Stutterheim and worked her way up from the shopfloor as a Graduate Trainee at Woolworths to become one of South Africa’s most respected and successful black business women. Nolitha is a humble leader who is widely respected as a pioneer who was at the forefront of transformation strategy, both within the companies she worked for and as a leader at the Black Management Forum where she worked with business, government and unions to drive change in South Africa.

Die veelbesproke Afrikaanse digter, Peter Blum, was een van die vernuwendste stemme onder die Vyftigers. Uit protes teen apartheid en die verkrampte kultuurlandskap van die tyd, het Blum en sy vrou Hetta in 1960 na Engeland geëmigreer. Hier het hy sy rug op die skryfkuns gekeer en die voordeurklokkie se koord afgeruk.

Hortjies dig is ’n liefdesdrama wat in 1991 – ’n jaar ná Blum se dood – in hul woonstel in Londen afspeel. Hetta se geestestoestand is wankelrig en sy verbeel haar dat Blum vir haar in hul woning wegkruip.

Haar verbeelde gesprekke met haar oorlede man lei tot ’n roerende drama wat die invloed van emigrasie op ’n egpaar se huwelik ondersoek, asook die behoefte aan erkenning en geloof in jouself ten spyte van ’n gebrek aan waardering.

Proverbs, and their everyday usage, are just as relevant to contemporary society as a reflection of the human condition as they were to our ancestors. Set against the struggle to save our planet and issues of environmentalism, proverbs with imagery originating from the natural world will resonate with most of us. Dianne Stewart has compiled this treasure trove of African nature proverbs sourced from isiZulu and isiXhosa, and has provided both literal translations and their figurative interpretations.

The blazing, untold story of a man who lived in the orbit of a giant, and finally managed to escape the sun.

For decades, Peter Venison stood in the shadow of the volcanic brilliance of Sol Kerzner, the hotel-world titan whose vision reshaped skylines and rewrote the rules of luxury. Together they conjured empires: Sun City, the Lost City, Atlantis, the Royal Mirage. But this isn’t just a backstage pass to the world’s most audacious resorts. It’s a memoir of survival – of ambition, obsession, loyalty, betrayal, and the strange gravity of genius.

Venison takes us from bombed-out Beirut to deals forged in the palaces of Dubai; from boardroom battles waged in London basements to working with designers like Giorgio Armani who demanded perfection down to the last pleat.

We watch the corporate wars that followed Venison’s acrimonious breakup with Sol, fought across continents and fuelled by egos. Beyond the fireworks, this book reveals a world few outsiders ever glimpse: post-apartheid power broking in Alexandra shebeens; the birth of Tsogo Sun; royal dinners at Windsor Castle; Mandela and Muhammad Ali leaving rooms breathless with grace.

Bold,witty,reflective and fiercely candid, ESCAPING THE SUN is not just the story of an empire-builder’s right-hand man – it’s a memoir about Venison stepping out of Kerzner’s blaze, reclaiming his light and understanding that the real legacy of a life well lived isn’t just the monuments built, but the meaning found beyond them.

In August 1993, Fulbright scholar Amy Biehl was killed by a group of black youths. "Mother to Mother" was provoked by that tragedy.;The killer's mother addresses the mother of the victim and tries to gain an understanding of her son by recalling both his life and hers within a world of apartheid. Magona, who grew up in a township of Cape Town, now lives in New York and works for the UN.

In The Eight Zulu Kings, well-respected and widely published historian John Laband examines the reigns of the eight Zulu kings from 1816 to the present.

Starting with King Shaka, the renowned founder of the Zulu kingdom, he charts the lives of the kings Dingane, Mpande, Cetshwayo, Dinuzulu, Solomon and Cyprian, to today’s King Goodwill Zwelithini whose role is little more than ceremonial.

In the course of this investigation Laband places the Zulu monarchy in the context of African kingship and tracks and analyses the trajectory of the Zulu kings from independent and powerful pre-colonial African rulers to largely powerless traditionalist figures in post-apartheid South Africa.

R.W. Johnson's articles and essays travel far beyond Southern Africa, reaching readers across continents. Their appeal lies not only in their acuity but also in his exceptional range of subjects – political, historical and cultural. As a former Oxford don and a leading international commentator, Johnson remains unmatched as an interpreter of national and world events.

Whether he's writing about politics in South Africa, Europe or the United States, the new space race, the leading personalities of our time, or even soccer, his views are always sharp, clear, deeply informed and original.

These essays belong unmistakably to the tradition of George Orwell. Orwell aspired to make political writing an art form, but his finest essays – even those on seemingly trivial subjects such as boys' comics – revealed both a penetrating intelligence and remarkable breadth. Johnson's writing is similar in spirit: like Orwell's, his essays can be read consecutively or dipped into at random, each one offering something striking and original.

The result is A Roving Eye, a book that is not just distinctive but truly unique, marked by depth, range, humanity and a rare sophistication.

R.W. Johnson, author of 17 books and innumerable articles, attended schools in the UK and South Africa, did his first degree at the University of Natal and was then a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford. For 26 years he was a Fellow and Tutor at Magdalen College, Oxford and he remains a Fellow of the College. An expert in French, British, American and South African politics, his books have ranged over all these interests and for many years he also wrote for The (London) Times, Sunday Times, the London Review of Books, Le Monde Diplomatique and other titles in the international media. Johnson's writings have been widely praised and have often excited controversy. He is a master of the essay form and his essays have had a wide circulation. He is married to the Russian scholar, Irina Filatova, and they live in Cape Town.

Every now and then a book comes along that is both timely and remarkable, that integrates all aspects of life; from recognising one’s roots, developing a moral grounding, building from strong family foundations to follow a chosen path to reach one’s goals, and remaining humble when it all comes to pass.

Time and Chance is an account, in a variety of contrasting images, voices and experiences gained from travelling the world in pursuit of business, where LAZARUS ZIM, industrious Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) enthusiast, recounts his journey to become one of South Africa’s business leaders, with several firsts, while navigating the political minefield – disclosing descriptions of behind-the-scenes intrigue and conspiracy – and his interactions with Heads of State in South Africa and around the globe.

The recounting of Zim’s extraordinary rise to success oscillates between hope, faith, ethics, and diligence as he lays bare his successes and failures, and the organic wisdom, knowledge, and wit that have framed his business acumen and moral grounding.

It is a poignant reminder of a black child’s quest to fulfil his purpose in which the writer dares everyone to dream, even in the face of hopelessness.

From Daveyton to Davos, Professor Bonang Francis Mohale has defied odds, challenged the status quo and used every opportunity afforded to him to carve his own way in the world. More than that, he has chosen to take as many people as possible along with him.

Having already written two books on business, leadership and ethics, he now puts pen to paper to share a more personal story – his own life journey.

In Coming in From the Cold Bonang reflects on the experiences, decisions, principles and people that have shaped his journey – the good, the bad, the joyful and the painful. With thoughtful vulnerability, he opens a window into his private world, from a childhood enriched by his grandmother’s proverbs to meeting Susan, his lifelong love, in high school and marrying her at just 17.

For the first time, he shares openly and publicly his philosophies on family and parenting, the intense fear of poverty that fuelled his career ambitions, and the memories he holds most dear. As he reflects on the forks in the road that led to a level of success unimaginable to a young boy from the township outskirts of Benoni, he also offers pearls of wisdom to those who wish to learn from his legacy.

Polarity sensitivity is a ubiquitous phenomenon involving expressions such as anybody, nobody, ever, never, somebody and their counterparts in other languages. These expressions belong to different classes such as negative and positive polarity, negative concord, and negative indefinites. In this book, Ahmad Alqassas proposes a unified approach to the study of this phenomenon that relies on examining the interaction between the various types of polarity sensitivity, with a particular focus on Arabic. Alqassas shows that treating this interaction is fundamental for scrutinizing their licensing conditions. Alqassas draws on data from Standard Arabic and the major regional dialects represented by Jordanian, Egyptian, Moroccan, and Qatari. Through the (micro)comparative approach, Alqassas explains the distributional contrasts with a minimal set of universal syntactic operations such as Merge, Move, and Agree. He also considers a fine-grained inventory of negative formal features for polarity items and their licensors. These simple features paint a complex landscape of polarity and lead to important conclusions about syntactic computation. By engaging with the rich but under-studied landscape of Arabic polarity sensitivity, this book provides a new perspective on the syntax-semantic interface and develops a unified syntactic analysis for polarity sensitivity. These contributions have important implications for the study of Arabic and for syntactic theory more generally.

In Troep! vertel meer as ’n honderd oud-troepe wat hulle onthou van diensplig: om op skool opgeroep te word, te gaan oorlog maak en twee jaar later weer huis toe te kom. Tussenin lê stories van varkpanne, tiekiebokse, twee-komma-viers, boeliebief, die DB, ryloop, pakkies, bosbussies, naweekpas, ratpacks, stof, Buffels, landmyne en skrapnel – en ook herinneringe van vriende, seuns en broers wat nie teruggekom het nie.

Bun Booyens voeg al hierdie stemme saam tot die verhaal van die uitsonderlike dinge wat duisende gewone seuns beleef het. Hierdie stories sal ’n snaar by veterane roer, en hul naastes help om te verstaan watter dinge hierdie mense vandag steeds met hulle saamdra – dit wat hulle onthou, maar ook dit wat hulle nie kan vergeet nie.