Born in the old Transvaal town of Schweizer Reneke, Essop Pahad started on a path of political activism from his parents' flat in Becker Street, Ferreirastown, where an all-welcome policy prevailed and visionaries of the Congress alliance, such as Yusuf Dadoo, Walter Sisulu, O.R.Tambo, Nelson Mandela and Ahmed Kathrada were regular visitors. His parents instilled in the family strong anti-racist principles and a genuine concern for all human beings regardless of race, class or religion.

A graduate of the 'Congress School' in Johannesburg, Essop's growing commitment to social justice was nurtured by teachers who were among the struggle's most eminent leaders. An executive member of the Transvaal Indian Youth Congress, Essop was banned in 1964 and went into exile in the UK where he was recruited into the South African Communist Party (SACP). In 1973 he studied at the Lenin Party School in Moscow and then worked in Prague representing the SACP on the editorial board of the World Marxist Review for a decade.

During this time he was sent by the ANC for military training with Umkhonto we Sizwe in Angola, which he was unable to complete as he contracted malaria. Essop returned to South Africa in 1990, where he played a central role in shaping our new democracy.

A Life Committed is the memoir of a revolutionary whose diverse experiences with other progressive people and movements, local and international, enabled him to deepen his understanding of how to better face the challenges confronting South Africa, Africa and the world. The book is spiced with anecdotes from his impressive memory archive and lightened by his mischievous sense of humour. Profiles of his mentors and friends from liberation movements and workers' parties provide insight into the extent of the fierce integrity,compassion and humanity of the author.

The Misery Merchants is a hard-hitting exposé of G4S, the company running one of South Africa’s private prisons in Mangaung. Hopkins presents up-close encounters with the gangs who run the prisons, and a unique insight into the minds of the men on the torture squad, who doused inmates with water before electrocuting them, and in some cases, strapped down ‘unruly’ prisoners and forced anti-psychotic medicines into their systems.

In the Free State of Ace Magashule, both the gangs and the prison bosses competed to run Mangaung Prison, one of South Africa’s few private prisons. Torture and forced medication were the order of the day. Hopkins, a seasoned journalist, has interviewed over 100 prisoners and many prison warders in order to understand what makes this prison so dysfunctional. Her insights and revelations will astonish you.

This book follows several characters who were held in or worked at the prison. L. is a prison gang general and an advocate for prisoners’ rights. He smuggled information on assaults, injections and corruption out of the prison for the author. Dan is a prison guard and a shop steward for the union. He led the workforce during two strikes and paid for it with his job and union membership. Setlai is a Department of Correctional Services official who blew the whistle on the abuse at Mangaung Prison in 2009. His reports were ignored and he was punished for speaking out. He was criminally charged and moved to another DCS post. Shakes is a member of the Emergency Security Team (EST) also known as the Ninjas. He engaged in torture and abuse but now feels ‘what we did was wrong’.

G4S is the largest security company in the world, and has its claws deep in SA’s government and private companies. Drive down any street and you’ll find a G4S van collecting or delivering money.

Mervyn King has transformed the global business landscape. King advocated reporting on society and the environment, not only on profit. His legacy transcends borders and continues to guide companies worldwide. His journey was enriched by his experience as a commercial lawyer; by his work as an advocate and a judge; and by his stellar career as a businessman, chair and director of many organisations.

DAVID WILLIAMS recounts his story.

News of the sensational priosn escape of the murderer and 'Facebook rapist' Thabo Bester, assisted by his lover, celebrity doctor Nandipha Magudumana, shocked South Africa.

In this book, Marecia Damons and Daniel Steyn, the Ground Up journalists who first exposed the scam, tell the full story, from Thabo and Nandipha's life stories and their unlikely love affair, all the way to his faked death and their eventual arrest, though in disguise, in Tanzania.

VELD Birds of Southern Africa: The complete photographic guide incorporates the latest photographs of, and research and atlas information on, all species of birds recorded in southern Africa to date.

This comprehensive field guide contains almost 2 000 beautiful colour photographs, as well as:

• the latest information on all 991 bird species in southern Africa
• concise entries focusing on identification, behaviour, possible confusion and habitat, along with differences in sex, age, colour morphs and subspecies
• at-a-glance information on each species’ size, food, status and sociality
• brand-new, colour-coded distribution maps reflecting each bird’s status and abundance
• full-length and quick indexes
• an app providing bird calls and additional photographs of plumage variations.

An essential companion, whether you’re out in the field or on the couch at home.

There is a lot that they don’t (and probably can’t) teach you in school. It feels like we spend a lot of time learning about plant cells and different types of rocks and too little time learning about budgeting, being healthy, human rights, sexual health, surviving heartbreak, and financial freedom.

The truth is that sometimes (often!) it is hard to be an adult. It involves making decisions all the time. It’s expensive. You have to navigate mostly dodgy expectations and stories about work and relationships and sex and your finances. And sometimes you want to scream – WHY DID NOBODY TELL ME THIS?

Join Jen Thorpe as she tells you about all the things you wish you knew as an adult. Thorpe covers your health, relationships, sex, work and money. She also discusses the government, media and social media, crime and climate change. This book is about how to survive in the real world, filled with helpful advice and practical tips, it has everything you need to know.

Lienke en Dezi beleef die vakansie van hulle lewe in Kalkbaai.

By die hotel ontmoet hulle Danroy, 'n kelner wat vakansiewerk doen, wat hulle na al die mooiste plekke in die baai vat. Hulle leer ken Danroy se "skwad" en sy geliefde Uncle Kaz. Dan is daar 'n tragedie op see wat Danroy en sy ma se lewe omkeer.

Soos Uncle Kaz altyd sê: "Mens het net drie goete nodig om gelukkig te wees: iemand om lief te hê, iets om jou hande mee besig te hou, en iets om na uit te sien."

Coloured as an ethnicity and racial demographic is intertwined in the creation of the South Africa we have today. Yet often, Coloured communities are disdained as people with no clear heritage or culture — ‘not being black enough or white enough.’

Coloured challenges this notion and presents a different angle to that narrative.

It delves into the history of Coloured people as descendants of indigenous Africans and a people whose identity was shaped by colonisation, slavery, and the racial political hierarchy it created. Although rooted in a difficult history, this book is also about the culture that Coloured communities have created for themselves through food, music, and shared lived experiences in communities such as Eldorado Park, Eersterus, and Wentworth. Coloured culture is an act of defiance and resilience.

Coloured is a reflection on, and celebration of Coloured identities as lived experiences. It is a call to Coloured communities to reclaim their identity and an invitation to understand the history and place of Coloured people in the making of South Africa’s future

Darlings of Durban follows the stories of four friends and how their lives intersect and influence each other.

Natasha owns a successful beauty company and is in a serious long-term relationship with the charming Sizwe. Natasha worries that his family will never truly accept her because of her mixed heritage. Does she even believe in marriage? Natasha often seeks the advice of her friend Sofia who's happily married with children. Sofia is the glue that holds the darlings together. The cousins, Farhana and Razia, both have their own complicated marriages. Farhana tries her best to support her husband in his harebrained schemes - even when it's to the detriment of her friendships. While Razia, the only darling in Johannesburg, feels stuck in her role as subservient wife to a husband whose attention is elsewhere.

All four women are navigating the complexities of love and life. But whatever life throws their way, the darlings always have each other.

The brilliant new novel in the number one bestselling Alan Banks crime series - by the master of the police procedural.

Late November, 1980. Student Nick Hartley returns from a lecture to find his house full of police officers. As he discovers that his ex-girlfriend has been found murdered in a nearby park, and her new boyfriend is missing, he realises two things in quick succession: he is undoubtedly a suspect as he has no convincing alibi, and he has own suspicions as to what might have happened . . .

Late November 2019. An dig near Scotch Corner unearths a skeleton that turns out to be far more recent than the Roman remains the archaeologist is looking for. Detective Superintendent Alan Banks and his team are called in and, as an investigation into the find begins, the past and the present meet with devastating consequences.

FULLY REVISED AND UPDATED 6TH EDITION OF THE WORLD'S BESTSELLING PREGNANCY GUIDE.

'My best friend during my pregnancy' Mariella Frostrup

With 18.5 million copies in print, What to Expect When You’re Expecting is read by 93 per cent of women who read a pregnancy book and was named one of the ‘Most Influential Books of the Last 25 Years’ by USA Today.

This cover-to-cover new edition is filled with must-have information, advice, insight, and tips for a new generation of parents.

With Heidi Murkoff's trademark warmth, empathy, and humour, What to Expect When You're Expecting answers every conceivable question expectant parents could have, including dozens of new ones based on the ever-changing pregnancy and birthing practices, and choices they face.

Advice for partners is fully integrated throughout the book.

All medical coverage is completely updated for the UK, including the latest on prenatal screening and the safety of medications during pregnancy, as well as a brand-new section on postpartum birth control.

Current lifestyle trends are incorporated, too: juice bars, raw diets, e-cigarettes, push presents, baby bump posting, the lowdown on omega-3 fatty acids, grass-fed and organic, health food fads, and GMOs. Plus expanded coverage of IVF pregnancy, multiple pregnancies, breastfeeding while pregnant, water and home births, and caesarean trends (including VBACs and ‘gentle caesareans’).

The best pregnancy guide just got even better.

Wouldn't you love to know what your dog was thinking? The truth is that your dog is communicating with you all the time but, unless you know the signs, you aren't picking up on what your dog wants you to know.

Louise Glazebrook is a dog behaviourist, trainer and television presenter who specialises in teaching people how to understand and connect with their dogs. In The Book Your Dog Wishes You Would Read, Louise tackles everything from bringing the right dog home, understanding body language and breed behaviour, responding to common behavioural issues, to the toys and games that you and your dog will both love.

Most dog trainers focus on the dog, but Louise focuses on you, the owner, giving you the skills and confidence to interpret your dog's needs and behaviour and build a better, happier relationship for life.

"John, I’m exhausted. I barely have energy to change my socks, never mind reimagine a new life for me or my family. I’ve been working around the clock – for less money – to keep my job . . . Everyone wants something from me, and you know what, pal, I’m depleted. I have nothing left to give."

This is what John Sanei has been hearing over the past year as we come to terms with our bewildering, ever-shifting post-Covid world. In Who Do We Become?, John maps out our strange, new world and lays down a path to reframe our thinking, to recognise our discomfort, to survive and thrive.

Infused with empathy and personal anecdote, the book is divided into three sections. In Part 1: ANGUISH, John explores how to courageously mourn the loss of our ‘normal’ preCovid world. Part 2: ABNORMAL, shows us how to understand this new environment and recognise that uncertainty is the new normal. And in Part 3: ADVENTURE, John provides a toolkit for us to forge out into the new world, to succeed and recognise the signs of rebirth and renewal.

In 2003, ten gay men were brutally attacked at Sizzlers, a massage parlour in Sea Point.

In a massacre of savage violence, nine of the men lost their lives. Quinton Taylor, the badly wounded sole survivor, managed to identify Adam Woest and Trevor Theys as the two men responsible for what was considered to be one of the worst mass murders in SA. Now Adam Woest is up for parole.

For Taylor and those who lost their loved ones, this severe travesty of justice will not happen without a fight.

In November 1993, ANC activist and development worker Clare Stewart’s body was found in a shallow ditch in rural KwaZulu-Natal as the province sat on the brink of civil war. Amid the ensuing chaos and euphoria of South Africa’s ‘new dawn’, the details of Clare's killing would stay hidden beneath the surface.

This gripping, moving account of Clare’s life and the mystery surrounding her death touches on the fragility of memory, family loss, apartheid’s evils, and the fault lines in our democracy.

Many people want to lose weight and are looking for the easiest way to do so. When it comes to weight-loss programmes, one of the excuses most frequently heard by dieticians is ‘I don’t know how to prepare the right meals’. This book provides a solution to that.

In A Slimmer You Cookbook, the author presents recipes for 1000 kJ meals to suit individual preferences, family circumstances and budgets. It demonstrates that by monitoring your portions, you can cook for a family, eat healthily, and enjoy a variety of foods, all while achieving your goal of losing weight. But eating correctly is not just about following a recipe or meal plan; we need to understand how what we eat affects our health. The introduction includes topics such as BMI and cholesterol, how to balance daily food intake with physical activity levels, the role of carbohydrates, proteins and fats in our diet, making the most of ‘free’ vegetables, and tips on how to interpret food labels.

Contents: Introduction; Breakfast; Salads; Soups; Chicken; Meat; Fish; Pasta; Preparing starches; Versatile vegetables; Meal plans; Store-cupboard essentials; Frequently asked questions.

In 1985, a group of white South African business leaders, led by Gavin Relly, the executive chairperson of Anglo American, travelled to a game lodge in Zambia to meet with the exiled ANC leadership under Oliver Tambo and Thabo Mbeki. This visit set in motion a coordinated and well-resourced plan by big business to influence and direct political change in South Africa.

In The ANC Billionaires, top-selling author Pieter du Toit draws on first-hand accounts by major roleplayers about the contentious relationship between capital and the ANC before, during and after the country’s transition to democracy, and shows how the liberation organisation was completely unprepared to navigate the intersection between business and politics.

He also ties the rise of the new elite – including Cyril Ramaphosa, Patrice Motsepe and Saki Macozoma – to the ANC, a party of government and patronage.

On 1 January 1999, Travis Gale (aged 17) and Stephen Bonaconsa (aged 27) left Johannesburg on a mission to cycle across four continents and raise R1 million for children living with, and affected by HIV/AIDS in KwaZulu-Natal. They pedalled out of Johannesburg, riding mountain bikes equipped with panniers, carrying the basic requirements for an adventure. They rode unsupported. No Instagram or Facebook. It was just the two of them and the open road. The pair successfully cycled over 16 000 kilometres, across four continents, through 16 countries, raising R1.7 million for their cause.

When asked to share about his experience, Travis very rarely spends time talking about the start or the finish of the tour. The stories Travis shares are from The Middle. It’s The Middle that tests us with challenges, yielding a multitude of emotions. It’s The Middle that involves the raw and often painful need to dig deep, to push through the barriers that stand in our way, and show ourselves what we are capable of. The Middle is what we, as human beings, were designed for. We can all pitch up at start lines. We can all celebrate a finish. But no finish is without a Middle and every Middle is where WHO WE ARE is revealed.

This book, The Middle, includes eight stories, drawn from eight key days of a world cycle tour, which will encourage and equip people through The Middle; the territory we must navigate in pursuit of our goals.

Die Koors het byna almal gevat. Maar nie dertien jaar oue Nico Storm en sy pa, Willem, nie.

Deur ’n Suid-Afrikaanse landskap feitlik sonder mense, met al hoe minder blikkieskos in die verlate winkels, Koeberg-bestraling in die Wes-Kaap en al hoe meer moorddadige hondebendes – én mensebendes – swerf Nico en sy pa, op soek na ’n plek om die samelewing weer te vestig.

Wanneer hulle dit eindelik sover het by die ou Vanderkloof – nou Amanzi – met ’n groepie swerflinge wat saam van voor af wil begin, steek al die ou sondes van die mensdom kop uit. Gou is Amanzi op geloofs- en politieke lyne verdeel, en verdediging teen die swaar gewapende motorfietsbendes wat dwarsoor Suid-Afrika plunder en moor raak al hoe moeiliker. En wat van die geheimsinnige, yskoue Domingo, wat by Amanzi aangery kom op ’n motorfiets van sy eie en spoedig as paramilitêre leier ontpop – kan hý ooit vertrou word?

Dis nie lank nie, of moord kom inderdaad ook na Amanzi …

In Koors vertel die volwasse Nico Storm die verhaal van die moord op sy pa. Dit is ’n aksiebelaaide nuwe rigting vir Deon Meyer, met al die aspekte wat lesers van sy spanningsfiksie verwag en nog vele nuwe lekkertes daarby.

Stella Mertens, Mark Dejongh en Riaan Steytler probeer elkeen iets uit hul verlede wegsteek . . . maar elke geheim het ’n vervaldatum. Daar is net ’n sekere tydperk wat ’n sekere hoeveelheid mense ’n geheim kan hou.

In Vuurvoël, Elmarie Viljoen-Massyn se debuutroman, word donker geheime ontrafel wanneer die oënskynlik uiteenlopende wêrelde van Big Pharma en ’n Serwiese dwelmkartel paaie kruis.

’n Hoogs leesbare roman wat getuig van puik navorsing.

Are farm killings political? Criminal? Is there really a white genocide under a black majority government?

Farm murders have occupied a central role in South Africa’s narratives for over 200 years. At the same time, the definition of a 'farmer' is highly contested. Media reports and activism groups typically acknowledge white farmers, frequently excluding the large number of people of colour.