It is well known that the African National Congress was formed in 1912 and is considered the oldest political organisation on the African continent. What is often not widely known is that the person who founded it was one Pixley ka Isaka Seme, a thirty-year-old black South African from Inanda outside the city of Durban.

What is remarkable about Seme’s achievement in founding the ANC is not only that he succeeded where most had failed at forging black political unity. It is also the speed at which he did it. He had just returned to South Africa from the United Kingdom and the United States of America, where he had been a student since he was a teenager. In slightly over a year the founding conference of the ANC was convened and he was at its helm as the main organiser.

Seme also established a national newspaper, became one of the pioneering black lawyers in South Africa, bought land from white farmers for black settlement right at the time when opposition to it was gaining momentum, became a sought-after adviser and confidant to African royalty, and was considered a leading visionary for black economic empowerment. And yet, when he became president general of the ANC in the 1930s, he brought it to its knees through sheer ineptitude and an authoritarian style of leadership. On more than one occasion he was found guilty for breaching the law, which partly led to him being struck off the roll of attorneys.

This book discusses in detail Seme’s extraordinary life, from his humble beginnings at Inanda Mission to his triumphs and disappointments across the continents, in his public and private life. When Seme died in 1951 he was bankrupt and his political standing had suffered greatly. And yet he was praised as one of the greatest South Africans ever to have lived. For all this, he has largely been forgotten. This biography brings the remarkable life of this extraordinary South African back to public consciousness.

After centuries of relative isolation, the Karoo – South Africa’s parched heartland – is a latecomer to the tourist industry. What was once viewed as a harsh and desolate place of limited attraction is rapidly gaining popularity with visitors who now make the Karoo their destination, keen to partake of its legendary charm, its extraordinary flora and the resurgence of wildlife that once again populates its plains.

Wild Karoo documents Mitch Reardon’s 4,000-kilometre journey of discovery through the region. The book focuses on:

• local nature conservation in all its facets
• the game, large and small – some recently reintroduced – plus birds, reptiles and invertebrates
• the unique, arid-adapted flora
• the landscape and geology
• the history and lifestyle of the people who have made a home here
• plans to combine public and private protected land to create wildlife corridors between isolated parks, re-establishing old migration routes and so reversing some of the effects of human settlement

Beautifully written, and illustrated with evocative photographs, this book is a must read for anyone interested in travel, wildlife and the environment.

How to Steal a City is an insider account of this intervention, which lays bare how the administration was entirely captured and bled dry by a criminal syndicate, how factional politics within the ruling party abetted that corruption, and how a comprehensive clean-up was eventually conducted.

It is written as a gripping real-life thriller, taking the reader deeper and deeper into the rotten heart of the city. As a former senior government official and local government “fixer”, Crispian Olver was no stranger to dealing with dodgy politicians and broken organisations. Yet what he found was graft that went far beyond the dodgy contracts, blatant conflicts of interest and garden-variety kickbacks he had seen before. It had evolved into a web far more sophisticated and deep rooted than he had ever imagined, involving mazes of shell companies, assassinations, criminal syndicates, and compromised local politicians. The metro was effectively controlled by a criminal network, closely allied to a dominant local ANC faction. What he found was complete state capture—a microcosm of what has been happening in South Africa’s national government.

But there was a personal price to pay. Intense political pressure and threats to his personal safety took a toll on his mental and physical health. He had to have a full-time bodyguard, and never maintained a regular routine. He eventually lost much of his political cover. Olver ultimately had to flee the city as the forces stacked against him started to wreak their revenge.

This is his story.

In October 2015, the Gupta brothers offered Mcebisi Jonas the position of minister of finance in exchange for R600 million. Then deputy minister of finance, Jonas turned down the bribe and a period of deep introspection followed for him. How did we reach this point, and what did the future hold for South Africa’s democracy and the economy?

In After Dawn, Mcebisi Jonas analyses the crisis at the heart of our current system, which places politics at the centre of policymaking and implementation at the expense of growth. In this important and authoritative book, Jonas first unpacks and analyses the current badlands of the South African economic and political landscape. In the second half, Jonas proposes a series of workable and practical solutions for transitioning South Africa into a growing, job-creating country including:

• Putting inclusive growth at the centre of economic policy;
• rapidly expanding new technological capacities and knowledge to transition to a twenty-first-century economy;
• expanding human capabilities at scale;
• path-changing trade-offs to catalyse the next phase of South Africa’s development;
• nurturing a corruption-free, high-performance state built on meritocracy and innovation; and
• changing the nature of politics.

Time is of the essence and the window of opportunity is narrowing for all South Africans to work together towards the South Africa we all imagined was possible in 1994.

Over one day across the streets of L.A., three lives will change forever.

In this breakneck thriller from director-producer Michael Bay, Will Sharp, in desperate need of money asks for help from his career-criminal brother Danny, who instead offers him a score: the biggest bank heist in Los Angeles history: $32 million. But when their getaway goes spectacularly wrong, the desperate brothers hijack an ambulance with a wounded cop and ace EMT Cam Thompson onboard.

In a high-speed pursuit, Will and Danny must evade a massive law enforcement response and keep their hostages alive, while executing the most insane escape L.A. has ever seen.

Tales of Two Countries is Ray Dearlove’s third book. He takes the reader through his childhood in apartheid-era South Africa and the turbulent years before Nelson Mandela assumed the presidency in 1994.

Living in Australia for more than thirty years brought its own share of interesting people, events and opportunities. There are many stories about the raw challenges of moving countries. It has some very moving and some very humorous moments, all told in Ray’s discerning and direct style.

Forewords by Tony Park, Jean-Claude van Damme and Andrian Gardner.

William Tell just wants to play cards. His spartan existence on the casino trail is shattered when he is approached by Cirk, a vulnerable and angry young man seeking help to execute his plan for revenge on a military colonel. Tell sees a chance at redemption through his relationship with Cirk.

Gaining backing from mysterious gambling financier La Linda, Tell takes Cirk with him on the road, going from casino to casino until the unlikely trio set their sights on winning the World Series of poker in Las Vegas.

But keeping Cirk on the straight-and-narrow proves impossible, dragging Tell back into the darkness of his past.

The eighth edition of Law of Delict is a comprehensive revision and update of Neethling-Potgieter-Visser Law of Delict (7th edition, 2015) in light of new legal authority and literature which naturally necessitated an adaptation of legal principles and theoretical points of view.

In particular, special attention was given to the continuing debate on delictual principles that has taken place in academic and judicial circles since the appearance of the previous edition, especially on the relationship between wrongfulness, negligence and legal causation.

A mysterious force knocks the Moon from its orbit around Earth and sends it hurtling on a collision course with life as we know it. With mere weeks before impact and the world on the brink of annihilation, NASA executive and former astronaut Jo Fowler is convinced she has the key to saving us all – but only one astronaut from her past, Brian Harper and a conspiracy theorist K.C. Houseman believes her.

These unlikely heroes will mount an impossible last-ditch mission into space, leaving behind everyone they love, only to find out that our Moon is not what we think it is.

Suid-Afrika is groot genoeg vir ’n leeftyd se reise. In Voetspore in Suid-Afrika 2 kry die Voetsporespan weer die geleentheid om ons land se natuurskoon en gasvryheid te beleef.

Hulle drie maande lange reis begin in Pafuri, in die noordoostelike hoek van Suid-Afrika. Van daar af is dit verby Klaserie, Dullstroom, die Waterberge, die suid-Vrystaat, die Groot-Karoo, die Sederberge, die Weskus, oor die Hottentots-Hollandberge en tot aan die suidpunt van Suid-Afrika: Agulhas. Vrystaatse vlaktes, grootste Drakensberge, Bosveld, Kaapse strande – noem maar op – daar is ’n oorvloed om te geniet. Die langpad in Suid-Afrika roep …

Benewens pragtige foto’s van die mooiste dele van ons land bevat hierdie reisgids ook:

• Name en telefoonnommers van gidse in elke streek
• Akkommodasiebesonderhede
• ’n Paklys
• Afstande tussen dorpe
• Inligting oor beskikbaarheid van vulstasies en gesondheidsorg
• Wetenswaardighede

It is September 1987. The Angolan Army – with the support of Cuban troops and Soviet advisors – has built up a massive force on the Lomba River near Cuito Cuanavale in southern Angola. Their goal? To capture Jamba, the headquarters of the rebel group Unita, supported by the South African Defence Force (SADF) in the so-called Border War.

In the battles that followed, and shortly thereafter centred around the small town of Cuito Cuanavale, 3 000 SADF soldiers and 8 000 Unita fighters were up against a much bigger Angolan and Cuban force of over 50 000 men.

Thousands of soldiers died in the vicious fighting that is described in vivid detail in this book. Bridgland pieced together this account through scores of interviews with SADF men who were on the front line. This dramatic retelling takes the reader to the heart of the action.

For over thirty years, Colin Drury has been at the forefront of helping students learn the key concepts and processes in management and cost accounting through his textbooks. Now in its tenth edition, Management and Cost Accounting has been the leading textbook in the field for three decades, and continues to blend theory and practice in language that is clear and accessible.

As well as covering everything students need to know for management accounting and cost accounting modules on undergraduate courses, or postgraduate students studying these topics for the first time, this book will also help prepare those taking the professional accounting bodies’ management and cost accounting examinations.

The new edition has been completely updated to reflect recent developments in the field, and now includes additional emphasis on value creation, and links strategic performance management more closely to divisional financial performance measurement. An entirely new chapter has also been added looking at the challenges management accountants will face in the future.

The purpose of this book is to set out the basic principles and conceptual issues of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

The book attempts to provide an accounting basis against which professional accounting publications can be assessed; review such publications critically, and identify possible shortcomings; and focus on the nucleus of the publications and supply specific related examples.

It is suitable for third-year and postgraduate students, as well as practising accountants.

This is not your average cookbook; building on the success of the foodies platform; we’ve taken it up a notch by celebrating Mzansi’s favourite flavours and people.

This book is jam-packed with Foodies of SA’s 2023 & 2024 100 tastiest and most watched TikTok recipes, made by 100 of the most entertaining Food-Tokers that South Africa has to offer.

These recipes have not just captured the hearts and stomachs of South Africa, they have smashed the social media scene with over 100 million views! Each view, like, comment, and share is a story of connection, a moment of communal “mmm” that resonates through kitchens across the nation.

But what makes this familiar yellow kitchen companion so unique? Each page comes alive with a QR code that takes you on a virtual journey into kitchens across South Africa.

We live in a country with a melting pot of rich flavours, cultures, and personalities, this book is dedicated to uniting us through food - allowing us to experience familiar Foodies Favourites with a new perspective, through the eyes of our fellow South Africans.

In the spirit of giving back, 100% of the royalties from this book will be donated to Bokamosa Education Trust and Breadline Africa, supporting initiatives that enhance lives and empower our communities.

HIGHER is Bublé’s first studio album in three years and follows his hugely successful sold out two-year global “An Evening with Michael Bublé Tour” as well as the 10th year of the massive success of his classic Christmas album.

Tucked away in the southwestern corner of the Eastern Cape lies a narrow valley, flanked by the Baviaanskloof and Kouga mountain ranges. Named after the chacma baboons that long ago made this 200-km-long kloof their home, the Baviaanskloof is part of the Cape Floral Region World Heritage Site.

It is a meeting point of several different ecosystems, with almost all of South Africa’s eight biomes represented, making for an exceptional diversity of species, including many endemics. Plants of the Baviaanskloof describes well over 1,000 plant species.

It includes:

• Succinct descriptions of each plant species with full-colour photographs
• Brief family and genus descriptions, and species counts for the area
• An introduction covering the geology, climate and vegetation types of the region

Compiled over two decades, Plants of the Baviaanskloof is sure to become an enduring record of the diversity of plant life found here. The only botanical guide for this area, it is a must-have for botanists, gardeners, road-trippers, hikers, travellers and all who have a deep interest in plants.

General Principles of Commercial Law is a concise compendium written specifically for non-law students. Written by experienced commercial law lecturers in the Department of Mercantile Law at the University of South Africa as well as the University of Johannesburg, it has been a prescribed text for undergraduate non-law students at various South African tertiary institutions for the past 32 years.

General Principles of Commercial Law provides students with a succinct exposition of the general principles of commercial law. It covers a wide range of topics influenced by the registration requirements of the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors.

The tenth edition has been updated to reflect recent statutory and other developments in commercial law and includes:

• A revised chapter 16 on credit agreements to reflect recent amendments to the National Credit Act 34 of 2005, as well as a newly added introduction to the broad framework and aims of the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013.
• A revised and updated chapter 24 that deals with various aspects and recent developments in banking law, including a discussion of selected aspects of the South African Post Bank Limited Amendment Act 10 of 2023; and the Conduct of Financial Bill, which represents the next phase in the Twin Peaks legislative reform process for market conduct. Chapter 24 now also includes a discussion of the Corporation for Deposit
• Insurance that was launched in 2024, as well as an update of recent developments in the field of stokvels.
• An expanded and updated chapter 25 on methods of payment, which includes a discussion of selected modern types of digital payment and other developments in the sphere of payments, including forex apps; contactless payment or tapping; and cost-effective payment options to local consumers.
• A new chapter 26 on financial technology, that includes a discussion of digital and virtual currencies; cryptocurrencies; blockchain; smart contracts; and fintech and digital and currency regulation in South Africa.
• A new chapter 27 on the important aspect of financial inclusion, including the elements of financial inclusion measures; types of financial exclusion; and legislative and other measures to improve financial inclusion.

Mariam Ibraheem was born in a refugee camp in Sudan. Her Muslim father died when she was six, and her mother raised her in the Christian faith. After a traumatic childhood, Mariam became a successful businessperson, married the man she loved, and had a beautiful baby boy.

But one day in 2013, her world was shattered when Sudan authorities insisted she was Muslim because of her father’s background. She had broken the law by marrying a Christian man, and she must abandon both her marriage and her son and adopt Islam. Under intense pressure, Mariam repeatedly refused. Ultimately, a Sharia court sentenced her to 100 lashes—and death by hanging.

Shackled is the stunning true story of a courageous young mother who was willing to face death rather than deny her faith. Mariam Ibraheem took a stand on behalf of all women who are maltreated because of their gender and all people who suffer from religious persecution.

Follow Mariam’s story from life under Islamic law, through imprisonment and childbirth while shackled, to her remarkable escape from death following an international outcry and advocacy that included diplomats, journalists, activists, and even Pope Francis.

A South African pastor and a young teacher from Cape Town battle over the fate of an eccentric elderly widow. The play won the 1988 New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Foreign Play.

Pixar’s Turning Red introduces Mei Lee, a confident, dorky 13-year-old torn between staying her mother’s dutiful daughter and the chaos of adolescence.

Her protective, if not slightly overbearing mother, Ming, is never far from her daughter—an unfortunate reality for the teenager.

And as if changes to her interests, relationships and body weren’t enough, whenever she gets too excited, she “poofs” into a giant red panda!

The discovery of the modern-day coelacanth will forever be linked with the name of JLB Smith. An intense, irascible, eccentric man, JLB (as he was widely known) and his long-suffering wife Margaret were both remarkable South African scientists who changed the course of the biological sciences.

Best known for their research on the coelacanth, they also contributed in many other ways to the scientific study of fishes (ichthyology) and related fields.

• The first comprehensive biography about JLB and Margaret Smith.
• Traces their formative years and serendipitous meeting, leading up to the discovery of the coelacanth, and the tumultuous years that followed.
• Details their punitive work ethic, eccentric and rugged lifestyle, and their astonishingly productive lives.
• A story awash with adventure, travel, discovery, risk-taking, near-death experiences – and their extraordinary contribution to science.

Illustrated with black-and-white images of the Smiths’ fascinating lives, as well as a 16-page colour section, Mike Bruton’s lively account fills a scientific and biographical niche and will become a classic of the South African scene.

Following the global success of the unstoppable single 'Unholy' featuring pop diva Kim Petras, Sam Smith releases fourth studio album 'Gloria'.

This is Sam's boldest statement to date and comes off the back of an undeniable run of success with the lead single from the album.

Emphasizing the intersection of multicultural, sociocultural and diversity issues with current societal events, Understanding Abnormal Behavior, 12th edition, highlights the need for expanding conversations regarding race, ethnicity and social justice.

It combines detailed descriptions of a variety of mental disorders with balanced coverage of psychopathology theories that inform treatment. Packed with the latest research and real-world case studies, the 12th edition is fully updated to reflect DSM-5 and integrates the Multipath Model of Mental Disorders to explain how biological, psychological, social and sociocultural factors interact to produce a mental disorder.

A focus on resilience highlights prevention and recovery.

Without much fanfare Ahmed Kathrada worked alongside Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu and other giants in the struggle to end racial discrimination in South Africa. He faced house arrest and many court trials related to his activism until, finally, a trial for sabotage saw him sentenced to life imprisonment alongside Mandela and six others.

Conversations with a Gentle Soul has its origins in a series of discussions between Kathrada and Sahm Venter about his opinions, encounters and experiences. Throughout his life, Kathrada has refused to hang on to negative emotions such as hatred and bitterness. Instead, he radiates contentment and the openness of a man at peace with himself. His wisdom is packaged within layers of optimism, mischievousness and humour, and he provides insights that are of value to all South Africans.

Douglas Murray, international bestselling author and renowned cultural commentator confronts what he views as the most pressing issue of our time: why Western support of the Palestinian cause is ultimately playing into the hands of a much more dangerous force.

Drawing from intensive on-the-ground reporting in Israel, Gaza and Lebanon, Murray presents a compelling case that places the latest violence in its historical context. He takes readers on a harrowing journey through the aftermath of the 7 October 2023 massacre, piecing together exclusive accounts from victims, survivors and even the terrorists responsible for the atrocities.

On Democracies and Death Cults argues that Israel’s commitment to fundamental Western values – capitalism, individual rights, democracy and reason – has made it a beacon of progress in a region dominated by authoritarianism and extremism. Murray contrasts Israel’s principles with the ideology of Hamas, which openly proclaims its love of death over life. If left unchecked, Murray argues, this misplaced Western sympathy could embolden forces that seek to undermine democratic values and perpetuate a culture of violence.

Clear-eyed and deeply reasoned, On Democracies and Death Cults is a gripping and essential read for all who seek to understand the complexities of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and its implications for the future of democracy – and for the world itself.