South Africa’s distorted distribution of wealth is one of the biggest challenges facing the country’s economy, with unemployment sitting at an unsustainable 27.7%. In terms of wealth, the top percentile households hold 70.9% while the bottom 60% holds a mere 7%. 76% of South Africans face an imminent threat of falling below the poverty line. With such statistics, the inequality crisis in this country is at a desperate level and strategies to remedy this challenge seem shallow and lack urgency.

In this context, the Institute for African Alternatives has brought together a series of papers written by eminent South African academics and policymakers to serve as a catalyst to finally confront and resolve inequality. With papers from former Public Prosecutor Thuli Madonsela, Ben Turok and former President Kgalema Motlanthe, this book provides a guide to how the nation can confront and resolve the inequality plaguing the country. The nation is headed to the polls later this year and books such as this are vital for providing a strong guide on how those in power can address South Africa’s biggest economic crisis.

A great contribution to the current political discourse, the book both confronts the issue and provides strategies on how to remedy inequality.

In August 2016, well-known South African businessman Herman Mashaba became mayor of Johannesburg, heading a razor-thin DA-led coalition in the city. Three years later, in October 2019, he resigned from the party and from his position as mayor. At the time, Mashaba’s approval rating stood at almost 70 per cent and there were calls in overwhelming numbers for him to stay. In this explosive tell-all, his chief of staff, Michael Beaumont, reveals the real story behind these events.

The Accidental Mayor considers the achievements, challenges and controversies of Mashaba’s time in office, and describes what went on behind the scenes in the city and in the multiparty coalition. What was discovered about the previous government’s looting of Johannesburg? How did the ANC take to being in opposition? How challenging was it to work with the EFF? Which party proved the most difficult coalition partner? All these questions and more are explored in detail.

At a time when the DA’s popularity is in decline, The Accidental Mayor highlights the infighting and factionalism within the party and questions whether South Africa’s official opposition has reached the end of the road. Can Herman Mashaba, arguably one of South Africa’s most popular former mayors, offer an alternative for the future?

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.

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.

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.

Librarians Stuart Goodson and Myra see their regular winter day shaken up when a collection of homeless patrons decide to take shelter in their library overnight as temperatures outside drop to deadly levels of freezing.

What starts as a peaceful sit-in quickly escalates into a full-on face-off, orchestrated on one side by city prosecutor and mayoral candidate, Josh Davis and on the other by increasingly impatient crisis negotiator, Bill Ramstead, resulting in a growing media storm with violence on the horizon...

Eddie Brock is still struggling to coexist with the shape-shifting extraterrestrial Venom.

When deranged serial killer Cletus Kasady also becomes host to an alien symbiote, Brock and Venom must put aside their differences to stop his reign of terror.

It’s the summer of 1983 in the north of Italy, and Elio Perlman, a precocious 17- year-old American-Italian, spends his days in his family’s 17th century villa transcribing and playing classical music, reading, and flirting with his friend Marzia. Elio enjoys a close relationship with his father, an eminent professor specializing in Greco-Roman culture, and his mother Annella, a translator, who favor him with the fruits of high culture in a setting that overflows with natural delights.

While Elio’s sophistication and intellectual gifts suggest he is already a fully-fledged adult, there is much that yet remains innocent and unformed about him, particularly about matters of the heart. One day, Oliver, a charming American scholar working on his doctorate, arrives as the annual summer intern tasked with helping Elio’s father.

Amid the sun-drenched splendor of the setting, Elio and Oliver discover the heady beauty of awakening desire over the course of a summer that will alter their lives forever.

(Academy Award winner for: Best Adapted Screenplay. Nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Original Song)

The Halloween night when Michael Myers returned isn’t over yet.

Michael manages to free himself from Laurie Strode’s trap to resume his ritual bloodbath. As Laurie fights for her life from injuries from her last encounter with Michael, she inspires her daughter Karen, granddaughter Allyson, and all of Haddonfield to rise up against their unstoppable monster.

The vigilante mob then sets out to hunt Michael down, once and for all.

This seventh edition of Human Resource Management in South Africa provides a complete introduction and guide to Human Resource Management in the challenging and changing business world of modern South Africa.

The many changes and events in both the external and internal environments for South African organisations in recent years have presented human resource managers with even greater challenges. Increasingly these managers, and the human resource function in general are being asked to make an even more significant contribution to the success of their organisations.

This textbook will help you understand and handle the complexity, speed and magnitude of these changes and their impact on HR issues and policy, as well as how HR can, in turn, help South African organisations and their employees create value and achieve competitive advantage.

One of the most powerful crime dramas of all time is hotter than ever!

This all-new 2-Disc Director's Definitive Edition of Heat features a pristine restoration personally supervised by Michael Mann, plus hours of revealing extras, including in-depth Q&As with the director as he reflects on the film two decades after its initial release.

Academy Award Winners Al Pacino and Robert De Niro square off in this ground-breaking cat-and-mouse thriller written and directed by Michael Mann as the personal lives of a brilliant thief and an obsessive L.A. cop intertwine and quickly unravel as the criminal plans his final heist. Co-starring Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore and Ashley Judd, Heat sizzles with hard-hitting action and gripping suspense.

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.

From Enron to the opioid scandal, an explosive, deeply-reported exposé that shows how McKinsey's has made the world more unequal, more corrupt and more dangerous over the last sixty years

McKinsey & Co. earns billions of dollars in fees from major corporations and governments who turn to them to maximize their profits and enhance efficiency. Their vaunted statement of values asserts their role is to make the world a better place, and their reputation for excellence and discretion attracts top talent from universities around the world. McKinsey's network is immense: almost 80% of the Fortune 500 and every government, as well as countless militaries, institutions and charities, including the NHS, have paid for and implemented their top secret and world-shaping advice. So what is that advice? And what effect has it actually had?

In When McKinsey Comes To Town, two prize-winning investigative journalists reveal the truth behind the public image. Often McKinsey's advice boils down to major cost-cutting, including layoffs and maintenance reductions, to drive up short term profits, thereby boosting the stock price and the wealth of the executives who hire them, at the expense of workers, and safety measures. They frequently recommend steering contracts from governments to their own clients, and just as frequently advise companies in the same industries.

Shielded by NDAs, McKinsey has escaped public scrutiny despite their role in advising tobacco companies, purveyors of opioids, repressive governments and oil companies. McKinsey helped insurance companies boost their profits by essentially making it impossible for accident victims to get payments; worked their U.S. government contacts to let Wall Street firms evade scrutiny; enabled massive theft in developing countries such as South Africa; reshaped the NHS. Their work has helped destabilize the global economy and divided society, and has been at the heart of some of the worst corporate scandals in history: from Enron to the Opioid Crisis.

Bognadich and Forsythe have managed to penetrate the veil of secrecy McKinsey by conducting hundreds of interviews, obtaining tens of thousands of revelatory documents, and following rule #1 of investigative reporting: Follow the money. When McKinsey Comes To Town is a landmark work of investigative reporting that amounts to a devastating portrait of a firm whose work has made the world more unequal, more corrupt, and more dangerous.

A gripping narrative of secrecy, greed and corruption, this is the story of where and how business went wrong in the modern era.

An intimate, powerful, and inspiring memoir by the former First Lady of the United States

In a life filled with meaning and accomplishment, Michelle Obama has emerged as one of the most iconic and compelling women of our era. As First Lady of the United States of America - the first African-American to serve in that role - she helped create the most welcoming and inclusive White House in history, while also establishing herself as a powerful advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world, dramatically changing the ways that families pursue healthier and more active lives, and standing with her husband as he led America through some of its most harrowing moments. Along the way, she showed us a few dance moves, crushed Carpool Karaoke, and raised two down-to-earth daughters under an unforgiving media glare.

In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her - from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world's most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it - in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations - and whose story inspires us to do the same.

Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride!

In Bullet Train, Brad Pitt stars as Ladybug, an unlucky assassin determined to do his job peacefully after one too many gigs gone off the rails. Fate, however, may have other plans, as Ladybug's latest mission puts him on a collision course with lethal adversaries from around the globe – all with connected, yet conflicting, objectives – on the world's fastest train... and he's got to figure out how to get off.

The end of the line is only the beginning in a wild, non-stop thrill ride through modern-day Japan.

Inspired by Steven Spielberg’s own childhood, rediscover the magic of movies in The Fabelmans, a coming-of-age story about a young man uncovering a shattering family secret and the power of film and imagination to help us see the truth about ourselves and each other.

With a star-studded cast, The Fabelmans tells a timeless tale of heartbreak, healing, and hope for the dreamer inside all of us.

A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people in this hilarious and action-packed adventure.

Vin Diesel, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez and John Cena return to star in this tenth instalment of the 'Fast and Furious' action thriller franchise. Dom (Diesel)'s past is catching up with him, as extraordinary escapes from high-stakes chases and shutting down the criminal empires of his enemies begin to attract even more of the wrong kind of attention. Dante (Jason Momoa) was the heir to one such empire, until his father died at Dom's hands and all of his wealth was lost with him.

Now Dante will stop at nothing to force Dom to face him, attempting to destroy all Dom holds dear along the way. For Dom to defeat this brutal and dangerous nemesis, he will need the strongest and bravest men and women he can get, alongside the most powerful weapons and fastest cars he can lay his hands on.

When the moonless shadows of London give birth to a new nightmare, John Luther once again confronts the depths of human depravity.

As a series of monstrous killings becomes more audacious, Luther and new recruit DS Catherine Halliday are confounded by a tangle of misdirection that seems to protect an unspeakable horror. But as the case brings him closer than ever to the nature of true evil, a reluctant Luther faces the ghosts of his own past.

Striding back into the line of fire, he must choose who to protect, and who to sacrifice. Whatever his next move, it will change John Luther forever.

The traditional image of a political assassin is a lone wolf with a gun, aimed squarely at the head of those they wish to kill. But while there has been enormous speculation on what lay behind notorious individual political assassinations – from Gaius Julius Caesar to John F. Kennedy – the phenomenon itself has scarcely been examined as a special category of political violence, one not motivated by personal gain or vengeance.

Now, in Day of the Assassins, acclaimed historian Michael Burleigh explores the many facets of political assassination, explaining the role of historical precedent, why it is more frequent in certain types of society than others and asking if assassination can either bring about change, or prevent it, and whether, like a contagious disease, political murder can be catching. Focusing chiefly on the last century and a half, Burleigh takes readers to the Congo, India, Iran, Laos, Rwanda and South Africa and revisits notable assassinations in Europe, Russia, Israel and the United States.

Throughout, the assassins themselves are at the centre of the narrative, whether they were cool, well-trained professional killers, like the agents of the NKVD or the KGB, or men motivated by the politicization of their private miseries. Even some of those who were demonstrably mad had method in the madness and acted for comprehensible political motives.

Combining human drama, questions of political morality and the sheer randomness of events, Day of the Assassins is a riveting insight into the politics of violence.

In an inspiring follow-up to her critically acclaimed, #1 bestselling memoir Becoming, former First Lady Michelle Obama shares practical wisdom and powerful strategies for staying hopeful and balanced in today’s highly uncertain world.

There may be no tidy solutions or pithy answers to life’s big challenges, but Michelle Obama believes that we can all locate and lean on a set of tools to help us better navigate change and remain steady within flux. In The Light We Carry, she opens a frank and honest dialogue with readers, considering the questions many of us wrestle with: How do we build enduring and honest relationships? How can we discover strength and community inside our differences? What tools do we use to address feelings of self-doubt or helplessness? What do we do when it all starts to feel like too much?

Michelle Obama offers readers a series of fresh stories and insightful reflections on change, challenge, and power, including her belief that when we light up for others, we can illuminate the richness and potential of the world around us, discovering deeper truths and new pathways for progress. Drawing from her experiences as a mother, daughter, spouse, friend, and First Lady, she shares the habits and principles she has developed to successfully adapt to change and overcome various obstacles—the earned wisdom that helps her continue to “become.” She details her most valuable practices, like “starting kind,” “going high,” and assembling a “kitchen table” of trusted friends and mentors. With trademark humor, candor, and compassion, she also explores issues connected to race, gender, and visibility, encouraging readers to work through fear, find strength in community, and live with boldness.

“When we are able to recognize our own light, we become empowered to use it,” writes Michelle Obama. A rewarding blend of powerful stories and profound advice that will ignite conversation, The Light We Carry inspires readers to examine their own lives, identify their sources of gladness, and connect meaningfully in a turbulent world.

This stunning depiction of geology in Namibia combines searingly beautiful photography with clear explanations of how the varied landscapes formed.

Arranged chronologically (starting 13.8 billion years ago), the chapters each deal with a particular event or process that has resulted in the formation under discussion. These include the early beginnings of the Earth, meteorites, canyons and limestone caves, vast desert landscapes, moonscapes and bizarrely-shaped rocks, and Namibia’s astonishing underwater lakes and reservoirs.

Picture-driven, with accessible text, this book features all the highlights of Namibian landscapes and landforms. A treat for travellers real and virtual – those on the road as well as those in armchairs.

That morning, Michelle presented her Psychology honours thesis on men's perceptions of rape. She started her presentation like this, “A woman born in South Africa has a greater chance of being raped than learning how to read …” On that same evening, she goes to a party to celebrate attaining her degree. She and a friend go to the beach; the friend has something she wants to discuss. They are both robbed, assaulted and raped. Within minutes of getting help, Michelle realises she'll never be herself again. She's now "the girl who was raped."

This book is Michelle's fight to be herself again. Of the taint she feels, despite the support and resources at her disposal as the loved child of a successful middle-class family. Of the fall-out to friendships, job, identity.

It's Michelle's brave way of standing up for the women in South Africa who are raped every day.

Set and filmed in the heart of London, this atmospheric crime mini-series from critically acclaimed writer Chris Langf and Ben Harris follows DI Will Wagstaffe (Tom Riley), a workaholic whose personal life is as troubled and complex as his day job, as he investigates a string of horrifying murders.

Still haunted by the unsolved murder of his parents when he was 16, ‘Staffe’ is about to continue a personal hunt for their killers when he’s called to the scene of a disturbingly brutal murder. When it emerges that this is not the only victim, the pressure is on as Staffe pushes the boundaries in his search for the truth; but what he uncovers is far more shocking than he could have ever imagined.

Directed by Brenda Chapman, the Oscar-winning director and co-writer of Pixar's Brave, COME AWAY is a whimsical and inspiring live-action fairy-tale and an ingeniously conceived prequel to two of the world's most beloved and enduring pieces of children's literature Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan.

Starring Angelina Jolie, David Oyelowo, Anna Chancellor, Michael Caine, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Reece Yates, the film follows the adventures of siblings Alice and Peter who transform into Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland in a bid to help their parents overcome the tragedy of losing their eldest son.

Peter and Alice find strength in the power of their imaginations and set off on a real adventure to try and rescue the family - escaping to a destiny of eternal boyhood in the distant isle of Neverland - whilst Alice delves into a world of Wonderland.