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.

South Africa has produced two leaders who achieved global recognition and renown in their respective eras: Jan Christiaan Smuts (Prime Minister, 1919-24 and 1939-48) and Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (President, 1994-99). The former was much celebrated for playing a significant role in reconstructing international architecture after both world wars; the latter remains globally admired for his leading part in drawing South Africa back from racial war and becoming a democracy. As a result, both have attracted multiple biographies. Today, however, whereas Mandela remains a much-admired global icon, Smuts’ reputation is much diminished, with contemporary historians citing his racism and role in constructing the foundations of apartheid South Africa.

In this controversial book, Roger Southall provides a re-evaluation of Smuts’ hugely contradictory career by proposing fascinating parallels with the life and political trajectory of Mandela. Both came to maturity as political leaders as freedom fighters – Smuts against the British and Mandela against the apartheid regime. Both played a pre-eminent in founding a new South Africa, the first made for whites at Union in 1910 and the second for all South Africans in 1994. Both aspired to be nation-builders, but while Smuts’ hoped-for South African nation was white, Mandela aspired to bring all of South Africa’s people together. Both came to stride on the international stage, albeit in very different ways and for various reasons.

Smuts’ career failed, and he was ejected from office. Mandela retired gracefully from office and continued to be lauded for his well-earned retirement, yet South Africa’s contemporary travails reveal his hopes and policies as unfulfilled. This book makes the case that we cannot fully understand Mandela without first understanding Smuts and how South Africa continues to struggle with the legacy he left behind.

Happy Baby is a wonderful new gift book for babies by Priddy Books. This shaped board book is a wonderful gift for any baby shower or to give to a newborn baby. It has been designed with our very first learners in mind, as each page has a ribbon attached with a different pattern or tactile feel which babies can explore as they interact with the book. There are also three shaped animal tabs which will also engage young children as they turn the pages. This book is focussed on different types of play, from toys to playing outside and doing arts and crafts together. The soft retro illustrations include sweet vignettes of babies and labelled images of what is in the scene to encourage early speaking skills, word-picture recognition as well as introducing babies to the world around them. There is also gentle rhyming text written from a child’s perspective which is perfect for reading aloud to young children: I can shake my rattle, bang my drum, and stack up blocks one by one! There is so much for babies and parents to explore together as they enjoy this adorable baby book.

Babies will love meeting the adorable animals and exploring the touch-and-feel pages in Baby Animals, the next title publishing into the successful Baby Touch & Feel series by Priddy Books. Filled with cute baby animals, from kittens and puppies, to bunnies and more, this multi-sensory shaped board book will stimulate babies' senses as they explore the pages. Featuring a different touch and feel texture on each spread, the gentle rhyming text and vibrant photographic images of animals and babies help to develop picture recognition.

This big, sturdy board book for babies and toddlers features more than 100 pictures to look at and essential first words to learn. Organised into topics including food, clothes, things that go and more, the bold, colourful pages will hold your child's attention, and the easy-to-read labels form the basis of word and picture association. A great book to build your child's vocabulary, and a perfect addition to any first learning bookshelf.

Roger Priddy's First 100 Dinosaurs is full of first dinosaur words to read and learn. With a padded cover and a small, easy-to-hold size, this new addition to the First 100 Soft To Touch series is the perfect little book for dinosaur fans.

Covering many types of dinosaurs from carnivores to herbivores, horned dinosaurs to marine reptiles and other dinosaur-related topics such as fossil discovery, there is no shortage of words to learn in this book. Colourful illustrations and photographs of realistic dinosaur models give this book a fresh, vibrant look.

-Soft-to-touch, padded board books which little hands will love to hold-Each book is packed with over 100 first words to learn and pictures to look at-Bright, vibrant photographs capture children's interest-Ideal first books for babies and toddlers which build vocabulary and help develop word and picture association

Priddy Learning: My First ABC is an exciting learning format that features engaging wheels for children to turn as they learn. With two wheels to turn on every page, this sturdy board book has been designed to encourage children to interact with the activities as they learn their abc. Children can turn the wheels to find the correct picture that matches with the starting letter. The bright pictures and simple labels build early vocabulary, while the wheels help to develop hand-eye coordination.

Create retro neon artwork that's truly electric with this funky rock painting kit!

Let author and artist Amanda Rogers guide you through creating 8 glowing rock painting projects that perfectly capture the style and nostalgia of retro neon lights and lettering.

Featuring a 24-page book plus rocks, paints, brushes and dotting tools, you'll be creating your own electrifying rock art to keep or share in no time!

Soothe your baby ready for bedtime with Sleepy Baby Cloth Book from Priddy Books. Focusing on three stages of getting ready for bed such as bath time, story time and going to sleep, this book is designed to be read to babies as part of their bedtime or naptime routine. Each spread features an illustrated vignette of a baby with labelled images on the other page to introduce new vocabulary, encourage early speaking skills and word-picture association. This book has soft padded cloth pages which are easy to hold and turn pages. Each spread also includes a different texture for babies to touch and feel. There are four ribbons attached to the side of the cloth book with different patterns and tactiles for added sensory exploration. The encouraging text is perfect for reading out loud together as part of story time. Publishing into the same series as Happy Baby, a tabbed board book publishing in October 2023.

No further information has been provided for this title.

Introducing first numbers in a fun, colourful way, this title presents over 100 clear, sharp images and accompanying text labels to help develop children's counting skills and build their vocabulary.

This soft cloth book format has been designed to stimulate babies senses with a variety of engaging tactile novelty elements. Babies can learn through play as they shake the rattle, touch the mirror, explore the touch-and-feel elements, and more! The playful handprint artwork and simple text encourage baby to engage with each page to develop their hand-eye coordination.

• Help your young child learn to identify colours, learn first words, and develop their fine motor and problem-solving skills with this fantastic puzzle book.
• With bright artwork and chunky puzzle pieces that are ideal for little hands, Colour Bus is the perfect addition to your young child's first library.
• Each page contains a large jigsaw piece of the a colourful traffic jam of vehicles and these can all be put together to create a large floor puzzle..

See, Touch, Feel: Farm is a fantastic first concepts book from Priddy Books. This new compact board book format introduces the farm to very young children in a fun and simple way. Specially designed to stimulate toddlers and encourage the development of motor skills, this engaging board book is filled with embossed images and textures to touch. The bright pages featuring happy babies and handprint artwork will appeal to young children as they learn farm words.

This book, based primarily on late breaking work ... provides an interesting snapshot at some of the main lines of current and new research within the field, such as investigation of the novel properties of ionic liquids and their uses in separations (e.g., gases, organics, and metal ions), biochemistry, medicine, and nanochemistry. The chapters also reflect the growing theoretical and computational work within the field leading to new predictive capability.
- From the Preface

Toddlers will love counting from 10 to 1 in Ten Little Lambs, an exciting new numbers book from Priddy Books! Ten little lambs are leaving the farm and going off on an adventure. They zoom around in outer space, rock out on stage at a concert, find buried treasure and much more. But every time they go somewhere new, one lamb gets left behind: Ten daring lambs go out for the day. One felt worried so decided to stay. This casebound board book also includes tactile silicon lambs. One every page there are die-cut shapes for the lambs’ faces to appear through so that every time the child turns the page, there is one less animal to count. The tactile nature of each page encourages children to explore and practice numbers from a young age. This fantastic book is perfect to share together at bedtime as there is so much to spot and look out for in the busy illustrated scenes as well as fun rhyming text to read loud.

I’m so happy when we’re together.

You bring sunshine into my life.

Even when I'm feeling small,

You make me feel ten foot tall.

The Mr Men and Little Miss will help you show that special someone just how much they mean to you with this warm and witty celebration of love and friendship.

Following the bestselling My Mummy and My Daddy, this delightful book pairs Roger Hargreaves classic artwork with affectionate and humorous new text to help children and adults share the love on Valentine's Day or at any time they want to say I love you.

The Mr Men and Little Miss have been delighting children for generations with their charming and funny antics. Bold illustrations and funny stories make them the perfect story experience for children 2 and up.

This is a compelling and revealing look at the history of the U.S.-Mexico border as a place, a symbol of cross-cultural melding, and a source of growing anxiety over immigration and national security. The U.S.-Mexico border is far more than a line that separates two countries. A winding path of nearly 2,000 miles from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, it is history, commerce, and culture. In recent years, however, attitudes about border crossings and border issues have hardened as has immigration policy. A source of growing anxiety over illegal immigration, national security, and safety, the border has become a symbol of political cataclysm over immigration law and enforcement, the future of DACA, the increasingly harsh treatment of refugees and others who attempt to cross without authorization, and the future of U.S. policy. This book traces the history of the border and its people, from the creation of the border line to explosive issues surrounding immigration and the future of the United States as a nation of diverse cultures and races. Explores the creation and development of the border in the late 19th century and the growing industrialization of the region in the early 20th century Examines the cross-border violence during the US Civil War and the Mexican Revolution, the increasing racial hostility and deportation policies in the 1930s and 1950s, and cartel violence Provides an unbiased assessment of the advent of the Chicano movement and politics on the border, NAFTA and border economics, and the increasingly hostile political debate over immigration and demands for a wall Provides critical background and contextual information to the events that have led to a turning point in America: How do we as a nation treat those seeking a new life at the border? Shows how the border has brought out feelings of community and acceptance along the border and at the same time birthed nativist and racial stereotypes Supplements political material with relatable information about the lives of cross-border workers and the blending of cultures along the border as they include food, language, and art