"What are democracies meant to do? And how does one know when one is a democratic state?" These incisive questions and more by leading political scientist, Steven Friedman, underlie this robust enquiry into what democracy means for South Africa post 1994.

Democracy and its prospects are often viewed through a lens which reflects the dominant Western understanding. New democracies are compared to idealised notions of the way in which the system is said to operate in the global North. The democracies of Western Europe and North America are understood to be the finished product and all others are assessed by how far they have progressed towards approximating this model. The goal of new democracies, like South Africa and other developing nation-states, is thus to become like the global North.

Power in Action persuasively argues against this stereotype. Friedman asserts that democracies can only work when every adult has an equal say in the public decisions that affect them. From this point of view, democracies are not finished products and some nations in the global South may be more democratic than their Northern counterparts. Democracy is achieved not by adopting idealised models derived from other societies – rather, it is the product of collective action by citizens who claim the right to be heard not only through public protest action, but also through the conscious exercise of influence on public and private power holders.

Viewing democracy in this way challenges us to develop a deeper understanding of democracy’s challenges and in so doing to ensure that more citizens can claim a say over more decisions in society.

After 25 years, Madam & Eve is still going strong and are back with more hilarious cartoons looking back at another year of the crazy rollercoaster that is COVID-restricted daily life and mixed with politics in South Africa.

Madam & Eve cartoons appear regularly in the Mail & Guardian, The Star, The Saturday Star, Herald, Mercury, Witness, Daily Dispatch, Cape Times, Pretoria News, Diamond Fields Advertiser, Die Volksblad, EC Today, Kokstad Advertiser and The Namibian.

Madam & Eve is South Africa’s best reminder that we need to laugh at ourselves as a society. The perfect gift for anyone wanting to understand South African politics.

After 25 years Madam & Eve is still going strong. The duo is back with more hilarious cartoons reflecting on another year of the crazy rollercoaster that is daily life and politics in South Africa.

Scholars agree that a direct correlation can be made between poor governance and the emergence of extremist movements. As UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres puts it: ‘I am convinced that the creation of open, equitable, inclusive and pluralist societies, based on the full respect of human rights and with economic opportunities for all, represents the most tangible and meaningful alternative to violent extremism.’ This book challenges both the efficacy and wisdom of purely militarised responses to extremist movements typified by the Global War on Terror, as well as the cursory replication of international counter-terrorism frameworks promulgated by the United Nations and European Union in Africa.

Emphasis is given to the importance of understanding local history, culture and regional geopolitics, among a variety of context-specific factors to truly understand and thereby effectively address the emergence and spread of extremisms in Africa. As such, it draws on contributions from a range of thematic and regional experts, including security-sector specialists, conflict analysts, journalists, international relations and governance specialists, political scientists, social anthropologists, psychologists and theologians, among others. A diverse range of extremist movements on the continent are examined, from radicalised religious groups to race-based organisations.

These case studies provide in-depth insight into answering why and how these movements came to be, while thematic chapters address issues pertinent to addressing them, such as public perceptions of extremism, methods of recruitment and radicalization among marginalised communities, supporting survivors of extremism and former combatants, strategic approaches to counter-terrorism and the role of governance, among others.

This is an introductory anthology and the first of its kind on this topic to be authored and published in the African continent.

This year we are in for a treat: After 25 years, Madam & Eve is still going strong and are back with more hilarious cartoons looking back at another year of the crazy rollercoaster that is daily life and politics in South Africa. Madam & Eve cartoons appear regularly in the Mail & Guardian, The Star, The Saturday Star, Herald, Mercury, Witness, Daily Dispatch, Cape Times, Pretoria News, Diamond Fields Advertiser, Die Volksblad, EC Today, Kokstad Advertiser and The Namibian.

How the three independent asset managers Coronation, Allan Gray and Investec (later Ninety One) , dubbed the CIA, came to dominate and continue to dominate the South African asset management industry, particularly the pension fund market.

There are plenty of colourful big ego personalities such as Hendrik du Toit at Ninety One, Leon Campher at Coronation and the late Allan Gray plus kingmakers reshaping thr industry such as Patrice Motsepe.

Refined and streamlined, Systems Analysis And Design In A Changing World helps students develop the conceptual, technical, and managerial foundations for systems analysis design and implementation as well as project management principles for systems development.

Using case driven techniques, the succinct 14-chapter text focuses on content that is key for success in today's systems analysis and design. The authors use a highly effective presentation to teach both traditional (structured) and object-oriented (OO) approaches to systems analysis and design. The book highlights use cases, use diagrams, and use case descriptions required for a modeling approach, while demonstrating their application to traditional, web development, object-oriented, and service-oriented architecture approaches.

The Seventh Edition's refined sequence of topics makes it easier to read and understand than ever. Regrouped analysis and design chapters provide more flexibility in course organization. Enabling students to apply what they learn as they go, the text's running cases have been completely updated, and now include a stronger focus on connectivity in applications.

The multi-award winning drama returns to BBC One for a tenth season!

It’s 1966, and it’s a testing time for the nuns and midwives. With Trixie’s help, Sister Julienne is determined to steer Nonnatus House out of its financial quandary. Dr Turner deals with an array of difficult cases, including a former soldier involved in nuclear test explosions.

Meanwhile, Sister Monica Joan experiences a crisis of faith, and Sister Frances realises she needs to be a little less spiritual if she’s to really connect with the local women. There are some interesting challenges ahead, as well as great celebrations when England wins the football World Cup.

Also includes the 2020 Christmas Special and Call The Midwife: Special Delivery 10th Anniversary Special.

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.

Hundreds of years in the future, humans have colonized the solar system. The U.N. controls Earth. Mars is an independent military power.

The planets rely on the resources of the Asteroid Belt, where air and water are more precious than gold. For decades, tensions have been rising between these three places.

Earth, Mars and the Belt are now on the brink of war. And all it will take is a single spark.

The third edition of Database Principles maintains its engaging writing style and brevity; its unique balance between theory and practice; and its wealth of examples throughout the text. It provides a solid and practical foundation for the design, implementation and management of database systems. The new edition has been updated with all the latest developments and technologies and incorporates a generous number of localised and motivating business vignettes that tie the concepts to real-life situations. The coverage of SQL provides numerous examples and simpler explanations that focus on areas most important for a database career. This edition is suitable for a first course in databases at undergraduate level and will also provide essential material for conversion postgraduate courses. Providing comprehensive and practical coverage of core database concepts, it is an ideal text not only for those studying database management systems in the context of computer science, but also those on courses in the areas of information systems and business information technology.

Stephen King's HOLLY marks the triumphant return of beloved King character Holly Gibney. Readers have witnessed Holly's gradual transformation from a shy (but also brave and ethical) recluse in Mr Mercedes to Bill Hodges's partner in Finders Keepers to a full-fledged, smart, and occasionally tough private detective in The Outsider. In King's new novel, Holly is on her own, and up against a pair of unimaginably depraved and brilliantly disguised adversaries.

When Penny Dahl calls the Finders Keepers detective agency hoping for help locating her missing daughter, Holly is reluctant to accept the case. Her partner, Pete, has Covid. Her (very complicated) mother has just died. And Holly is meant to be on leave. But something in Penny Dahl's desperate voice makes it impossible for Holly to turn her down.

Mere blocks from where Bonnie Dahl disappeared live Professors Rodney and Emily Harris. They are the picture of bourgeois respectability: married octogenarians, devoted to each other, and semi-retired lifelong academics. But they are harbouring an unholy secret in the basement of their well-kept, book-lined home, one that may be related to Bonnie's disappearance. And it will prove nearly impossible to discover what they are up to: they are savvy, they are patient, and they are ruthless.

Holly must summon all her formidable talents to outthink and outmanoeuvre the shockingly twisted professors in this chilling new masterwork from Stephen King.

This emotionally-charged, critically acclaimed thriller reunites Stephen Dillane in his award-winning role as Karl Roebuck with Clémence Poésy as Elise Wassermann, in a provocative and thrilling drama.

The Tunnel: Vengeance is set in a post-Brexit Europe where the English and French teams come together once more in an emotionally charged finale.

When a stolen fishing boat is found adrift and on fire in the English channel, Karl and Elise believe the missing cargo consisted of trafficked migrant children. As a disenfranchised and toxic duo enact a terrifying endgame, Elise is shocked to the core by a miscarriage of justice from her past. Together and apart, they are forced to grapple with decisions they have made and must make decisions that cut to the deadly heart of the matter: what is the value of a single life?

After 31 years, Madam & Eve are still going strong and are back with more hilarious cartoons looking back at another year of the crazy rollercoaster that is daily life and politics in South Africa.

Madam & Eve is South Africa’s best reminder that we need to laugh at ourselves as a society.

The perfect gift for anyone wanting to understand South African politics.

All ten episodes from the second season of the action adventure show starring Hayley Atwell as the Marvel Comics character Peggy Carter.

Following the Second World War, Strategic Scientific Reserve (SSR) agent Peggy moves to Los Angeles intent on stopping new, atomic age threats to humanity.

In this season, Peggy finds links to Isodyne Energy after a powerful new substance is discovered, which, in the wrong hands, could have potentially catastrophic results.

Zibusiso Mkhwanazi’s entrepreneurial journey has taken him from being a digital advertising prodigy to founding South Africa’s largest black-owned advertising agency group. His experiences have led him to believe that anyone has the potential to become a leader.

In this book, Business By Grace – How I Built a World-Changing Advertising Business with R2 000, Zibusiso shares the lessons he’s learned along the way, highlighting that the road to success is never easy. From his early struggles and business breakdowns to his current status as a revered entrepreneur, Zibusiso’s account demonstrates how resilience, tenacity, and his faith have helped him overcome challenges. His story is both inspiring and informative, offering valuable insights for entrepreneurs and business leaders alike.

At its core, the book is a tribute to the South African spirit. It tells the story of a young boy who sold sweets at school and grew up to become one of the country’s most successful business icons.

Business By Grace is a compelling and engaging book, a must-read for anyone seeking inspiration and guidance on their own entrepreneurial path.

DCI Banks returns for its grittiest season yet with an explosive serial crime story that weaves through three feature length episodes.

To Burn in Every Drop of Blood:
When the victim of a frenzied attack is found in woodland, the team wonder if it’s a random killing or related to the location - a shrine to a local girl who recently committed suicide there. But when Banks uncovers a link to local crime boss Steve Richards, he becomes convinced that this is his chance to finally nail the hitherto untouchable criminal.

A Little Bit of Heart:
What starts out as a missing person case in Leeds’ Chinese community soon escalates into a kidnap and ransom and then finally murder. Banks and his team are plunged into a world of protection gangs and the exploitation of immigrants before the discovery of a dark family secret reveals the true motive behind the crimes.

Undertow:
Banks and his team struggle to put personal feelings aside as they investigate the stabbing of a fellow officer. As they attempt to nail the culprit, Banks’ actions become increasingly reckless, forcing Chief Superintendent Anderson to put him on gardening leave. With Helen made Acting DCI, Banks finds himself operating on the other side of the law, using his years of experience to crack this most harrowing case.

In the wake of Charles Town, the world lives in fear of Captain Flint. But when his campaign of terror crosses over into madness, it falls to John Silver to locate the man within the monster.

Meanwhile, with Eleanor Guthrie gone, Jack Rackham and Captain Charles Vane struggle to secure Nassau for the ages. All will be tested when a new threat arrives.

It knows them. It understands them. And in the blink of an eye, it will turn them against each other.

From master storyteller Stephen King comes a thrilling new novel with intertwining storylines - one about a killer on a diabolical revenge mission, and another about a vigilante targeting a feminist celebrity speaker - featuring the beloved Holly Gibney and a dynamic new cast of characters.

When the Buckeye City Police Department receives a disturbing letter from a person threatening to 'kill thirteen innocents and one guilty' in 'an act of atonement for the needless death of an innocent man', Detective Izzy Jaynes has no idea what to think. Are fourteen citizens about to be slaughtered in an unhinged act of retribution? As the investigation unfolds, Izzy realises that the letter writer is deadly serious, and she turns to her friend Holly Gibney for help.

Meanwhile, controversial and outspoken women's rights activist Kate McKay is embarking on a multi-state lecture tour, drawing packed venues of both fans and detractors. Someone who vehemently opposes Kate's message of female empowerment is targeting her and disrupting her events. At first, no one is hurt, but the stalker is growing bolder, and Holly is hired to be Kate's bodyguard - a challenging task with a headstrong employer and a determined adversary driven by wrath and unhinged righteousness.

Featuring a riveting cast of characters both old and new, including world-famous gospel singer Sista Bessie and an unforgettable villain addicted to murder, these twinned narratives converge in a chilling and spectacular conclusion - a feat of storytelling only Stephen King could pull off.

Thrilling, wildly fun and outrageously engrossing, Never Flinch is one of King's richest and most propulsive novels.

Mahershala Ali stars as Wayne Hays, a retired detective who has been tormented for 35 years by a case involving the 1980 disappearance of a 12-year-old boy and his 10-year-old sister in the town of West Finger, Arkansas. As the aging Hays, his memory failing, ruminates on details of his investigation with the producer of a truecrime documentary, we learn about the case, and Hays’ past, tracking stories in 1980, when the crime took place, and 1990, when a shocking discovery reignited interest in the case.

Through these flashbacks, we get to know key characters like Roland West (Stephen Dorff), Wayne’s partner at the time of the murder; Amelia Reardon (Carmen Ejogo), a schoolteacher and writer; as well as county officials, FBI agents, family members and suspects.

Each of the eight episodes adds a new piece to the puzzle of what happened on that fateful night in 1980 – and how that one event shaped the lives of so many people for so many years.

Sometimes the hardest journey is the way back home . . .

Wily Odysseus, King of Ithaca, has won Troy for the Greeks – after a decade of brutal, bloody warfare. But now this warrior remembers he is a husband and father – and his gaze turns longingly towards home.

Setting sail with a small fleet, Odysseus dreams of soon lying in the arms of his beloved wife Penelope, and of teaching his son Telemachus the ways of a warrior. However, the gods laugh at the foolish hopes of mortals. And, angered by this upstart, Poseidon – God of the ocean realms – curses our hero to wander the seas for ten long years.

Encountering one-eyed giants, six-headed monsters, terrible storms, titanic whirlpools, hypnotic sirens, seductive witches and jealous goddesses, Odysseus is tempted and tormented beyond any man’s endurance.

Yet he is no mere mortal – and the lure of his wife and son draws him, step by step, stroke by stroke, ever closer to home and his ultimate destiny . . .

A tale of love and longing, return and redemption, home and hope, Stephen Fry’s Odyssey sees the author and national treasure weave the final threads of the fabulous story begun in the worldwide bestseller, Mythos, into an astonishing and mesmerising tapestry for the ages.

Bestselling author Sean Covey has made it his mission to understand trust in organizations. In his new breakthrough leadership book Trust and Inspire, Covey shows that though our world has evolved, our style of leadership still has not—but it’s time to change that.

Traditionally, businesses have relied on a “command and control” management style, focusing on rigid hierarchies and compliance from employees. Covey argues we must shift from a “command and control” to a “trust and inspire” leadership model. Trusting and inspiring your team is defined by commitment from both sides, with a focus on effectiveness and fostering a growth mindset. It is based on the belief that employees are creative, collaborative, and full of potential; through trust, you can inspire them to do their best work.

Trust and Inspire is a simple yet radical shift in how business must be done in the 21st century and an expansive, visionary, and inviting guide to the future of leadership.

The Nightmare On Elm Street Collection features seven films across seven discs plus a disc of bonus content.

A Nightmare On Elm Street
Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) is having grisly nightmares. Meanwhile, her high-school friends, who are having the very same dreams, are being slaughtered in their sleep by the hideous fiend of their shared nightmares. When the police ignore her explanation, she herself must confront the killer in his shadowy realm... From modern horror master Wes Craven comes a timeless shocker that remains the standard bearer for terror. Featuring Johnny Depp in his first starring role, this horror classic gave birth to one of the most infamous undead villains in cinematic history: Freddy Krueger.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge
Five years have passed since Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) was sent howling back to hell. But now, a new kid on Elm Street is being haunted every night by gruesome visions of the deadly dream stalker and if his twisted soul takes possession of the boy's body, Freddy will return from the dead to wreak bloody murder and mayhem upon the entire town.

A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
The last of the Elm Street kids are now at a psychiatric ward where Freddy haunts their dreams with unspeakable horrors. Their only hope is dream researcher and fellow survivor Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp of the original Nightmare), who helps them battle the supernatural psycho on his own hellish turf.

A Nightmare On Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
Proving there's no rest for the wicked, the unspeakably evil Freddy Krueger is again resurrected from the grave to wreak havoc upon those who dare to dream. As her friends succumb one by one to Freddy's wrath, telepathically gifted Kristen embarks on a desperate mission to destroy the satanic dream stalker and release the tortured souls of his victims once and for all.

A Nightmare On Elm Street 5: The Dream Child
Unable to overpower the Dream Master who vanquished him in A Nightmare On Elm Street 4, Freddy haunts the innocent dreams of her unborn child and preys upon her friends with sheer horror. Will the child be saved from becoming Freddy's newest weapon or will the maniac again resurrect his legacy of evil?

A Nightmare On Elm Street 6: Freddy's Dead - The Final Nightmare
They tried to burn him, bury him, wash him away with holy water. Freddy hitches a ride inside some poor soul's dream to the nearest town and hey, quicker than you can say "Nine, ten, never sleep again", the dreamstalker's back in business...

A Nightmare On Elm Street 7: Wes Craven's New Nightmare
In a frightening new twist in the terror on Elm street, Wes Craven (director of the original film) finds that his dreams have begun to dictate real-life horrors for the stars of the film.

A star-crossed lovers romance that spans a millennia, for fans of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, They Both Die at the End and One Day

‘Maybe that’s all love is, in the end. An endless tempting of fate.’

Evelyn can remember all her past lives. She can also remember that in every single one, she’s been murdered before her eighteenth birthday.

The problem is that she’s quite fond of the one she’s in now, and more importantly, her sister needs her for bone marrow transplants to stay alive. So now she has to:

1. find the centuries-old enemy who hunts her through each life and destroy them forever
2. figure out exactly why she’s being hunted in the first place,
3. try quite hard not to fall in love with them

The riveting account of Nvidia, the tech company that has exploded in value for its artificial intelligence computing hardware, and Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s charismatic, uncompromising CEO.
 
In June of 2024, spurred by the frenzy of investment following the launch of ChatGPT, and thirty-one years after its founding in a Denny’s restaurant, Nvidia became the most-valuable corporation on Earth. In  The Thinking Machine,  acclaimed journalist Stephen Witt recounts the unlikely story of how a manufacturer of video game components shocked Silicon Valley by conquering the market for AI hardware, and in the process re-invented the computer.
 
Essential to Nvidia’s meteoric success is its visionary CEO Jensen Huang, who more than a decade ago, on the basis of a few promising scientific results, bet his entire company on AI. Through unprecedented access to Huang, his friends, his investors, and his employees, Witt documents for the first time the company’s epic rise and its iconoclastic CEO, who emerges as a compelling, single-minded, and ferocious leader, and now one of Silicon Valley’s most influential figures.
 
The Thinking Machine  is the story of how Nvidia evolved from providing components for circuit boards to supplying hundred-million dollar supercomputers. It is the story of a determined entrepreneur who defied Wall Street to push his radical vision for computing, in the process becoming one of the wealthiest men alive. It is the story of a revolution in computer architecture, and the small group of renegade engineers who made it happen. And it’s the story of our awesome and terrifying AI future, which Huang has billed as the 'next industrial revolution', as a new kind of microchip unlocks hyper-realistic avatars, autonomous robots, self-driving cars, and new movies, art, and books, generated on command.