Discover the tales behind the ties in Stephen Fry's witty companion to our most distinguished accessory, the perfect gift for the tie-wearer in your life.

'A well-tied tie is the first serious step in life' Oscar Wilde

'What do ties matter, Jeeves, at a time like this?' 'There is no time, sir, at which ties do not matter' P.G. Wodehouse

Every single one of Stephen Fry's ties - whether floral, fluorescent, football themed; striped or spotty, outrageous or simply debonair - tells an intimate tale about a moment in Stephen's life. Inspired by Stephen's hugely popular Instagram posts, this book will feature beautiful, hand-drawn illustrations and photographs to celebrate his expansive collection of man's greatest clothing companion: The Tie, in all its sophisticated glory.

Distinctively funny and offering witty asides, facts and personal stories, this book will make the perfect gift for anyone who has ever worn a tie.

The Democratic Alliance won control of the uMngeni Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands after the local government elections in 2021. As the only DA-run municipality in KZN, uMngeni provides a template for how local government could work in a post-ANC South Africa.

Written by two leaders at the very heart of the project, Saving South Africa reveals the challenges, the triumphs and disasters the new administration has encountered along the way. It is an eye-opening exposé of how cadre deployment has helped to bring the country to its knees. It is a story of incompetent officials, political spies, gunwielding tenderpreneurs, petty theft and grand larceny.

And yet, as we follow the authors on their journey, there is always hope for a better future as the corrupt layers of local governance are gradually stripped away, revealing the responsive and caring civil service envisioned by the South African Constitution.

Norman McFarlane was just out of high school when he was conscripted for national service and sent to Angola.

Like so many other ordinary troopies, he was thrown into the horror, deprivation and banality of war. He recounts his loss of innocence in Angola, the subsequent ‘camps’ and his journey towards confronting his post-traumatic stress disorder.

Told with disarming honesty and humour, he gives voice to a generation of white South African men forced into a grisly, life-defining experience.

Memoirs of a much-loved teacher and legendary headmaster of Pretoria Boys High.

Bill Schroder is the stuff teaching legends are made of. He was strict, yet kind; firm and consistent, yet creative and playful when needed. He knew the magical mix of discipline and care needed to ensure the loyalty of his students. In this warm-hearted, inspiring and often funny memoir, Schroder looks back on four decades as an English and Latin teacher and, later, headmaster, including 19 years at Pretoria Boys High.

His holistic approach to teaching earned him the respect of both teachers and students. Teaching is not only about conveying knowledge, he believed, but also about looking after the emotional needs of students. For Schroder, the institution was never more important than the individual – he always put his students first. As a headmaster he became known for doing things his own way. He gave students a voice where others wanted to silence them, he found creative ways to turn problem schools around and never allowed departmental admin to get in the way of teaching. In the early 1990s when schools were opened to all races, Pretoria Boys High under him played a leading role in transforming their school. In his retirement he also served as a consultant and a mentor to a school in a Pretoria township.

Here is a teacher who left an indelible mark on thousands of pupils from Cape Town to Pretoria.

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.

Why do some people achieve so much more than others? Can they lie so far out of the ordinary?

In this provocative and inspiring book, Malcolm Gladwell looks at everyone from rock stars to professional athletes, software billionaires to scientific geniuses, to show that the story of success is far more surprising, and far more fascinating, than we could ever have imagined.

He reveals that it's as much about where we're from and what we do, as who we are - and that no one, not even a genius, ever makes it alone.

Outliers will change the way you think about your own life story, and about what makes us all unique.

At the very dawn of the country’s brave new democracy, Cape Town was at war. Pagad, which started as a community protest action against crime, had mutated into a sinister vigilante group wreaking death and destruction across the city. Between 1996 and 2001, there were more than 400 bombs – most famously at the popular Planet Hollywood restaurant at the V&A Waterfront – and there were countless targeted hits on drug lords and gang bosses.

The police were at their wits end. The new ANC government was alarmed. The citizens of Cape Town were living in fear.

Mark Shaw tells the incredible tale of how the police’s response pulled together former foes – struggle cadres and the apartheid security apparatus – to break the Pagad death squads. It is a story that has never been told in full and was not possible until recently, when many were released from prison or had retired and were finally willing to talk openly about this revealing chapter in South Africa’s recent history.

Teaching and Learning Strategies in South Africa provides an accessible exploration of human learning and teaching strategies to facilitate an effective teaching and learning environment. Perfect for pre-service and in-service teachers, this book analyses some of the key methodologies that have been proposed to explore different teaching strategies whilst also encouraging you to question these and to find your own unique and appropriate approach to teaching and learning. Written by several leading academics from across South Africa and Zimbabwe, the clear and concise writing style makes this text ideal for undergraduate students learning to become teachers. It is also a valuable resource for those in the first few years of teaching who wish to gain a greater understanding of the theories and methodologies of teaching.

In 1987–1988 the dusty Angolan town of Cuito Cuanavale was the backdrop for the final battles of the Border War. Ever since the war ended, the fighting around Cuito has been the subject of a fierce public debate over who actually won the war.

While the leadership of the former South African Defence Force (SADF) claims it was never defeated, the supporters of the Angolan MPLA government, Cuba and SWAPO insist that the SADF was vanquished on the battlefield. They contend that the SADF wanted to overrun Cuito Cuanavale and use it as a springboard for an advance on Luanda.

But was Cuito Cuanavale ever really an objective of the SADF? Leopold Scholtz tackles this question by examining recently declassified documents in the SANDF archives, exploring the strategic and tactical decisions that shaped the six main battles, from the SADF’s stunning tactical success on the Lomba River to the grinding struggle for the Tumpo Triangle.

His incisive analysis untangles what happens when war, politics and propaganda become entwined.

Meet Daisy De Melker, who 'lovingly' prepared a flask of strychnine-laced coffee for her son. She is very different from Najwa Petersen, who carefully planned a 'house robbery' to eliminate her musician husband. Chané van Heerden placed her victim's facial skin in the freezer for preservation, yet Phoenix Racing Cloud Theron wished to dispose of her mother's body before it was even cold. And Dina Rodrigues? She 'wouldn't harm a fly' - but then went and organised a hit on a baby.

Women are not paragons of virtue who cannot commit murder. Nor are they always insane when they do deliberately cause death. And the women with 'blood on their hands' are not homogeneous.

In Blood on Her Hands, award-winning journalist Tanya Farber investigates the lives, minds and motivations of some of South Africa's most notorious female murders, from the poisonous nurse Daisy de Melker, to the privileged but deeply disturbed Najwa Petersen, to the mysterious Joey Haarhoff, who died before revealing the fate of her victims. Written in a style lighter than the subject matter might suggest, Blood on Her Hands will keep you reading until late at night.

City Of Broken Dreams brings the global debate about the urban university to bear on the realities of South African rust-belt cities through a detailed case study of the Eastern Cape motor city of East London, a site of significant industrial job losses over the past two decades. The cultural power of the car and its associations with the endless possibilities of modernity lie at the heart of the refusal of many rust-belt motor cities to seek alternative development paths that could move them away from racially inscribed, automotive capitalism and cultures. This is no less true in East London than it is in the motor cities of Flint and Detroit in the US.

Since the end of the Second World War, universities have become increasingly urbanised, resulting in widespread concerns about the autonomy of universities as places of critical thinking and learning. Simultaneously, there is increased debate about the role universities can play in building urban economies, creating jobs and reshaping the politics and identities of cities.

In City Of Broken Dreams, author Leslie Bank embeds the reader's understanding of the university within a history of industrialisation, placing-making and city building.

South Africa’s general election of 2024 saw the African National Congress losing its majority at the national level for the first time since the arrival of democracy in 1994. To maintain its rule, President Cyril Ramaphosa led his party into a Government of National Unity (GNU) centered around a hitherto unlikely coalition with the opposition Democratic Alliance. Election 2024, South Africa: Countdown to Coalition presents the first comprehensive analysis of this historic process.

It outlines the extensive social and economic crisis that preceded the election; provides detailed analyses of the election campaigns of the political parties; highlights the dramatic rise Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto we Sizwe Party; places the GNU against the recent experiences of coalition formation at provincial and local level; offers comprehensive summaries of voter participation and both the national and provincial results; and discusses prospects for the GNU’s survival and its possible long-term consequences.

Written in a highly accessible style, Election 2024, South Africa is an indispensable resource for all those wanting to understand South Africa’s contemporary politics.

Being Black In The World, one of N. Chabani Manganyi’s first publications, was written in 1973 at a time of global socio-political change and renewed resistance to the brutality of apartheid rule and the emergence of Black Consciousness in the mid-1960s.

Manganyi is one of South Africa’s most eminent intellectuals and an astute social and political observer. He has written widely on subjects relating to ethno-psychiatry, autobiography, black artists and race. In 2018 Manganyi’s memoir, Apartheid and the Making of a Black Psychologist was awarded the prestigious ASSAf (The Academy of Science of South Africa) Humanities Book Award. Publication of Being-Black-in-the-World was delayed until the young Manganyi had left the country to study at Yale University. His publishers feared that the apartheid censorship board and security forces would prohibit him from leaving the country, and perhaps even incarcerate him, for being a ‘radical revolutionary’. The book found a limited public circulation in South Africa due to this censorship and original copies were hard to come by.

This new edition is an invitation to a younger generation of citizens to engage with early decolonialising thought by an eminent South African intellectual. While the essays in this book are clearly situated in the material and social conditions of that time, they also have a timelessness that speaks to our contemporary concerns regarding black subjectivity, affectivity and corporeality, the persistence of a racial (and racist) order and the possibilities of a renewed de-colonial project. Each of these short essays can be read as self-contained reflections on what it meant to be black during the apartheid years. Manganyi is a master of understatement, and yet this does not stop him from making incisive political criticisms of black subjugation under apartheid. The essays will reward close study for anyone trying to make sense of black subjectivity and the persistence of white insensitivity to black suffering.

Ahead of its time, the ideas in this book are an exemplary demonstration of what a thoroughgoing and rigorous de-colonial critique should entail. The re-publication of this classic text is enriched by the inclusion of a foreword and annotation by respected scholars Garth Stevens and Grahame Hayes respectively, and an afterword by public intellectual Njabulo S. Ndebele.

The results of the 29 May 2024 elections caused a seismic shift in South Africa’s political landscape. For the first time in three decades of democracy, the ruling ANC did not emerge with a majority.

With a constitutional deadline of just fourteen days to elect a president, the nation held its breath. Would the ANC forge a so-called doomsday coalition with the EFF and Patriotic Alliance, or a centrist partnership with its nemesis, the DA? What role would smaller parties play, and how would Jacob Zuma’s disruptive MK party impact on the negotiations?

The Deal takes you behind the scenes of the negotiations that redefined a nation, providing exclusive interviews with party leaders, unique insights and stories, thoughtful analysis and vital context. From the exclusive Inanda Club to clandestine hotel basements and affluent private houses on Johannesburg’s Westcliff Ridge, negotiating teams met under immense pressure. Amidst volatile markets, a skittish currency and intense social media scrutiny, every decision was critical.

Witness the nail-biting moments as talks through bilaterals and back channels teetered on the brink of collapse, and discover the personality clashes, factionalism and deft political manoeuvring that ultimately led to the establishment of the Government of National Unity. The Deal is a compelling record of history.

The purpose of this handbook - Know your Rights, Claim your Rights - is to provide a straightforward overview of the Constitution of South Africa; to set out the basic constitutional rights and responsibilities of all South African citizens and to assist in drawing the attention of civil society to the remedies available when their rights have not been respected and upheld.

Land is one of the most emotive and symbolically powerful issues in Africa. In rural contexts, the collision of history, class, race, gender, time and space has made meaningful efforts to overcome economic inequality complex. In South Africa, the end of slavery and its subsequent creation of ‘buffer communities’ for military purposes in the 1850s all collided with the stalled emergence of a relatively self-sufficient Black peasantry. The dismantling of this Black agrarian class in the twentieth century involved the incubation of white producers and their favourable positioning within product markets. In a programme of statecraft, that explains our country’s prevalent inequality and widespread economic inactivity.

‘New’ Settler or ‘Old’ Tenant? explores how this past continues to shape the present. Using a rich body of archival, news, census, legal and primary sources spanning almost two centuries, the book traces the construction and reproduction of racial hierarchies in land, labour and product markets. Across the rural Eastern Cape – from the lands between the Fish and Keiskamma rivers moving further north towards Kat River Valley, Sada (Whittlesea) and the Glen Grey area – this journey reveals the origin stories of enduring rural economic conflicts and the heavy and tormenting legacy these struggles impose on the present.

From the agrarian reforms of the 1830s, designed to secure labour after the end of slavery, to the failed Ciskeian experiments to ‘remake’ a Black commercial agrarian class as a ‘buffer community’, and the mass resettlement of people into marginal lands, this book follows the long arc of history. To find multi-generation stories of change. At its heart are labour tenants, so-called ‘squatters’ and ‘relocated’ families – historical actors in an over century-long struggle over land and livelihoods. In the democratic era, these communities, once marginalised and displaced, now stand as landholders (or tenants?) and citizens. Who await different futures on the land. In this life. Before heaven. <>P> Ayabonga Cawe challenges us to reckon with how the deep and enduring economic insecurity of rural life in South Africa undermines attempts at redress and the promise of overcoming agrarian duality and inequality.

Are we in the middle of a generational war? Are Millennials really entitled 'snowflakes'? Are Baby Boomers stealing their children's futures? Are Generation X the saddest generation? Will Generation Z fix the climate crisis?

Revealing and informative, The Generation Divide provides a bold new framework for understanding the most divisive issues raging today: from culture wars to climate change and mental health to housing.

Including data from all over the globe, and with powerful implications for humanity's future, this big-thinking book will transform how you view the world.

Previously published as Generations.

101 Remarkable South African Women is the first book to bring together such a wide-ranging collection of extraordinary women who shaped South Africa’s past and present. From the prehistoric Eve of the West Coast and cultural bridge-builder Krotoa to groundbreaking figures like Olive Schreiner, Miriam Makeba, Thuli Madonsela, and global star Tyla, these 101 stories span centuries of South African history, politics, art, literature, music, sport, science, and activism.

This beautifully curated and highly readable volume offers an accessible entry point into South African history for general readers, students, and anyone who wants inspirational local role models or to discover the voices too often left out of the official records. Inspiring, informative, and filled with remarkable lives, it is at once a celebration of our foremothers and a showcase of contemporary role models

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.

Stories brought us together.

Books spread our ideas – and our mythologies.

The internet promised infinite knowledge.

The algorithm learned our secrets – and then turned us against each other.

What will AI do?

Nexus is the thrilling account of how we arrived at this moment, and the urgent choices we must now make to survive – and to thrive.

'I do not hate boys, I hate men.'

This provocative statement sets the stage for a searing exploration of the complex relationship South African society holds with its Black and Coloured men and boys. Dr Mzamo Masito's urgent new book, This Country hates Our Boys, confronts the pervasive 'cold and hot love' that often translates into collective male guilt. When a child goes missing, a collective sigh of relief by men is heard when the blame points to maternal filicide, such as headlines like 'South African woman guilty of kidnapping and trafficking daughter aged 6' (BBC).

The widely accepted phrase 'amadoda zizinja' – men are dogs – is more than a colloquialism; it's a symptom of a society where positive masculine role models are scarce. This linguistic shortcut flattens the nuanced reality of masculinity into a single, simplistic concept of patriarchy, obscuring the complex, chaotic social issues at play.

Through the vital work of African Men Care, a non-profit organisation, Dr Masito unpacks the interlocking crises facing Black boys and men: educational disparities, mental health struggles, pervasive violence, and fractured relationships. More crucially, the book illuminates a clear path forward.

'Every man is every boy' is not merely an observation but a powerful call to action. The struggles of adult men today are often rooted in the unaddressed needs and unrealised potential of the boys they once were. The lament 'awekho amadoda' (there are no men) serves as a stark warning: without decisive intervention, we risk losing entire generations. This book reveals how individual trauma metastasises into a collective crisis. When boys lack robust interior lives and positive identity models, the repercussions echo through families, schools, and communities. Hurt boys mature into hurting men, perpetuating cycles that impact everyone, including the girls and women in their lives.

¬This Country Hates Our Boys is essential reading for men, educators, policymakers, community leaders, parents, and anyone committed to breaking cycles of hurt and forging futures where all young people can thrive. The ultimate goal is revolutionary in its simplicity: to empower both girls and boys, ensuring no child is left behind.

A fusion of conversations, observations, and personal reflections on his own experiences, work with men, and scholarship, Why Men Hurt Women and Other Reflections on Love, Violence and Masculinity is Kopano Ratele’s meditation on love, violence and masculinity.

This book seeks to imagine the possibility of a more loving masculinity in a society where structural violence, failures of government and economic inequality underpin much of the violent behaviour that men display. Enriched with personal reflections on his own experiences as a partner, father, psychologist and researcher in the field of men and masculinities, Why Men Hurt Women and Other Reflections on Love, Violence and Masculinity is Kopano Ratele’s meditation on love and violence, and the way these forces shape the emotional lives of boys and men.

Blending academic substance and rigour in a readable narrative style, Ratele illuminates the complex nuances of gender, intimacy and power in the context of the human need for love and care. While unsparing in its analysis of men’s inner lives, Ratele lays out a path for addressing the hunger for love in boys and men. He argues that just as the beliefs and practices relating to gender, sexuality and the nature of love are constantly being challenged and revised, so our ideas about masculinity, and men’s and boys’ capacity to show genuine loving care for each other and for women, can evolve.

Over the past decade, migration has become a central theme in relations between Africa and Europe. It constitutes a political and diplomatic issue that seems to have imposed itself on a range of policy agendas, from development cooperation to peacebuilding and counterterrorism, and from climate change mitigation to conversations around Africa’s demographic transition.

This book reflects on the diverse perspectives of African and European actors on migration and engages the securitisation of migration and exposure of migrants of colour to unsafe and undignified migration, including outright persecution.

The book proffers a more just and sustainable migration governance agenda, against the backdrop of the more detailed reflections on the key policy priorities, drivers, regional dynamics, and actors influencing African-EU migration.

Are you a senior carer or team leader who wishes to progress to management? Or an existing care home manager interested in improving the standard of care you offer? Essential reading for anyone considering career progression to manager level, Managing to Care: The Care Home Manager's Guide explores the role of the care home manager, and the preparation, experience and training this involves. This invaluable guide will navigate the reader through their journey to becoming a manager, from analysing their leadership abilities and interpersonal skills when delivering care, to examining their personal and professional qualities and exploring their management ambitions and the ways in which they can achieve these in the care home. Honest, engaging and informative, with a foreword by Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, Managing to Care will help carers evaluate the experience they have gained from working in a home, reflect on where they are now and where they would like to be in the future. The helpful guide will provide all the encouragement and practical direction needed by carers - either to improve the level of care that they are currently offering, or to make the important transition to manager.

Essentials of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders 5-TR at your fingertips in 6 laminated pages. Succinctly written by author Rona Bernstein, PsyD to cover the most used core of the DSM. The previous version of this quick reference guide (before this TR version) was a best seller on Amazon and was highly praised by students as well as professionals in the field of psychology and counseling. Customers say it is great for the EPPP, NCLPC, NCMHC and LPCC exam reviews and just as many professionals said they use it as a quick review at their practice and as a deskside refresher in counseling. Even parents, military, and educators have used the guide to verify and support decisions to investigate mental health issues further in seeking professionals for help. The value at this price is unbeatable to boost grades, test scores and awareness so add this tool to your library. 6-page laminated guide includes: Neurodevelopmental Disorders Schizophrenia Spectrum & Other Psychotic Disorders Bipolar & Related Disorders Depressive Disorders Obsessive-Compulsive & Related Disorders Anxiety Disorders Trauma- & Stressor-Related Disorders Dissociative Disorders Somatic Symptom & Related Disorders Feeding & Eating Disorders Elimination Disorders Sleep-Wake Disorders Sexual Dysfunctions Disruptive, Impulse-Control, & Conduct Disorders Gender Dysphoria Substance-Related & Addictive Disorders Neurocognitive Disorders Personality Disorders Paraphilic Disorders Medication-Induced Movement Disorders & Other Adverse Effects of Medication Other Conditions That May Be A Focus of Clinical Attention Suicidal Behavior and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury Abuse, Neglect & Relational Problems Educational, Housing & Economic Problems Problems Related to Social Environment Problems Related to Interaction with the Legal System Psychosocial, Personal, and Environmental Circumstances Related to Access to Medical & Other Health Problems that may be a Focus of Medical Advice and Clinical Attention