Download or read book The ANC Billionaires written by Pieter du Toit and published by Jonathan Ball Publishers. This book was released on 2022-10-31 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'We were talking about the rise of Japan, about Ronald Reagan's Star Wars ... globalisation, technology. And they were still banging on about the Freedom Charter.' – Anglo American's Michael Spicer on the ANC in the mid-1980s. 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.

Download or read book The Stellenbosch Mafia written by Pieter du Toit and published by Jonathan Ball Publishers. This book was released on 2019-07-15 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: About 50km outside of Cape Town lies the beautiful town of Stellenbosch, nestled against vineyards and blue mountains that stretch to the sky. Here reside some of South Africa's wealthiest individuals: all male, all Afrikaans – and all stinking rich. Johann Rupert, Jannie Mouton, Markus Jooste and Christo Weise, to name a few. Julius Malema refers to them scathingly as 'The Stellenbosch Mafia', the very worst example of white monopoly capital. But who really are these mega-wealthy individuals, and what influence do they exert not only on Stellenbosch but more broadly on South African society? Author Pieter du Toit begins by exploring the roots of Stellenbosch, one of the wealthiest towns in South Africa and arguably the cradle of Afrikanerdom. This is the birthplace of apartheid leaders, intellectuals, newspaper empires and more. He then closely examines this 'club' of billionaires. Who are they and, crucially, how are they connected? What network of boardroom membership, alliances and family connections exist? Who are the 'old guard' and who are the 'inkommers', and what about the youngsters desperate to make their mark? He looks at the collapse of Steinhoff: what went wrong, and whether there are other companies at risk of a similar fate. He examines the control these men have over cultural life, including pulling the strings in South Africa rugby.

Download or read book The Super Cadres written by Pieter du Toit and published by Jonathan Ball Publishers. This book was released on 2024-09-02 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After taking power, the ANC implemented its policy of cadre deployment. It sought command of all levers of power, from the Cabinet, through the civil service, down to municipal level. Despite the party recently lasing its majority, cadre deployment will ensure that the ANC maintains its iron grip on power and patronage, and it remains fused with the state. In The Super Cadres, bestselling author Pieter du Toit exposes how Nelson Mandela and Thabo Mbeki laid the foundation for complete ANC control of the state, how Jacob Zuma's ANC exploited it and why Cyril Ramsphosa is complicit in the destruction that followed. It is a searing critique of the ANC's desire for untrammelled power.

Download or read book 20 Battles written by Evert Kleynhans and published by Jonathan Ball Publishers. This book was released on 2023-07-28 with total page 365 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Favouring manoeuvre over attrition and often punching above their weight, South African soldiers have become known for their tenacity, dash and ability to defy the odds. Their unique directive command style has also helped them to excel in defining battles and operations, from the campaign in German South West Africa in 1915 to the cross-border operations in Angola during the Border War. In 20 Battles, military historians Evert Kleynhans and David Brock Katz investigate the evolution of South Africa's armed forces over a century from 1913 to 2013. They track the evolution of the doctrine and structure of the defence force, uncovering historical continuity and the lessons learned from past battles and operations. What is clear is that when South African soldiers have the freedom to operate according to their manoeuvre doctrine, as they had in East Africa in 1916 and southern Ethiopia in 1941, they can achieve stunning results. But when hemmed in by rigid doctrine and a top-down command style, as at Delville Wood in 1916 and Tobruk in 1942, the results can be tragic. 20 Battles combines both battlefield drama and crisp analysis and in the process provides a much-needed perspective on the South African way of war.

Download or read book Elon Musk written by Michael Vlismas and published by Jonathan Ball Publishers. This book was released on 2022-05-06 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'How did a bullied, introverted Pretoria schoolboy become the world's richest person and arguably humanity's greatest change agent? Vlismas's extensively researched biography does a great job of unwrapping Elon Musk's remarkable life story.'– TOBY SHAPSHAK. Often in the news for his entrepreneurial exploits and his controversial tweets, Elon Musk is one of the richest and best-known people on earth. In 2022 he made headlines worldwide with his bid to buy Twitter. Who is this boundary-pushing billionaire with grand plans of inhabiting Mars, and what lies at the heart of his vision? Why is he so utterly unafraid of risk? As an awkward Pretoria schoolboy who loved comics and science fiction, Musk's early years and singular family background were crucial in forming his stellar ambitions. Journalist and author Michael Vlismas, who attended the same high school as Musk, knows well the environment that shaped him and offers new insights into Musk's development, including his troubled relationship with his father. Tracing his remarkable life, from his South African childhood to his move to Canada at 17 and then to the US – where Musk made millions out of PayPal and built Tesla and SpaceX into two of the world's most famous companies – this is the story of a man driven to preserve the optimism he sees in humanity and find a future for humans 'out there among the stars'.

Download or read book The Man Who Shook Mountains written by Lesley Mofokeng and published by Jonathan Ball Publishers. This book was released on 2023-03-15 with total page 231 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'This is a South African story of an unsung hero, a man forgotten by history – though not by me, nor by the people who knew and respected him ...' When his grandfather gave sermons, he was 'capable of shaking mountains', a church leader tells journalist and author Lesley Mofokeng. 'Ntate Mofokeng pulled people towards God with the great and rare talent of a motivator.' In this revealing book, Mofokeng investigates the life of his grandfather, Mongangane Wilfred Mofokeng, a prominent Dutch Reformed Church evangelist. In the 1950s, as Black South Africans were being evicted from the cities to live in reserves and homelands, Mongangane set out to build a community at a dusty cattle post in the far North West province. There he managed to establish a resilient community that mostly lived outside the repressions of the apartheid regime. The journey takes the author from Johannesburg's Marabi-soaked townships of the 1930s to his childhood home of Gelukspan near Lichtenburg and then to rural Free State and the mountain kingdom of Lesotho. In what becomes a spiritual quest, he traces the inspirational footsteps of his ancestors and the legendary King Moshoeshoe. Mofokeng also explores the politics and history of the Dutch Reformed Church's Black constituency and uncovers why to this day it is called Kereke ya Fora – or 'Church of the French' – and its hymns are sung across denominations and in social spaces outside the church.

Download or read book After The Party written by Andrew Feinstein and published by Jonathan Ball Publishers. This book was released on 2010-10-25 with total page 394 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After the Party burst onto the South African political scene when it was published in 2006, becoming an instant bestseller. Detailing ex-ANC MP Andrew Feinstein's involvement with the ruling party - his euphoria at being part of the new South Africa followed by a growing disillusionment over the ANC's handling of HIV/AIDS and in particular the notorious Arms Deal. Now, in a new edition, Feinstein brings his fascinating story up to date following the watershed ANC Conference at Polokwane and the shift of power within the party. He writes an insider account of developments in the Arms Deal investigations, including the allegations against President Thabo Mbeki, and the German and British inquiries. He details the rise of Jacob Zuma and sets out the overwhelming case that Zuma faces on charges of corruption.

Download or read book South Africa Beyond Covid 19 written by Pieter du Toit and published by Jonathan Ball Publishers. This book was released on 2020-05-29 with total page 191 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the aftermath of the worldwide outbreak of Covid-19, 31 of South Africa's top analysts, economists, academics and journalists – including Adriaan Basson, Koos Bekker, Pieter du Toit, Adam Habib and Thuli Madonsela – try to chart a way forward, identify our biggest stumbling blocks, and offer solutions for when the virus subsides. When reports emerged from China in December 2019 about a seemingly incurable virus, few South Africans took notice. But less than three months after those reports, in March 2020, South Africa went into a full lockdown. Life as we knew it ground to a halt. Schools were closed, businesses were shuttered, a curfew imposed, freedom of movement curtailed and hospitals prepared for an unprecedented health storm. The spread of Covid-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, has forced the world and South Africa to reconsider how society works. Can the economy continue to function as it has for the past century, and how can it be reconfigured to be more inclusive? In a post-state-capture country, what must citizens expect and demand from their government? And how can we bridge societal cleavages – many caused by our unjust past – so that we emerge a stronger nation beyond Covid-19? Contributors: Pieter du Toit, Haroon Bhorat, Servaas van der Berg, Imraan Valodia, Alex van den Heever, Louis Reynolds, Kuku Voyi, James Arens, Ron Derby, Thabi Leoka, Koos Bekker, Ann Bernstein, Dawie Roodt, Norman Mbazima, Isaah Mhlanga, Qaanitah Hunter, Thuli Madonsela, Anthoni van Nieuwkerk, Mcebisi Ndletyana, Nicole Fritz, Mpumelelo Mkhabela, William Gumede, Judith February, Darias Jonker, Theo Venter, Leon Wessels, Elmien du Plessis, Ralph Mathekga, Adriaan Basson, Adam Habib, Wilmot James.

Download or read book Fortunes written by Ebbe Dommisse and published by Icon Books. This book was released on 2021 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive work based on personal interviews and insider knowledge - bound to become a classic.

Download or read book Milk the Beloved Country written by Sihle Khumalo and published by Penguin Random House South Africa. This book was released on 2023-03-02 with total page 250 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Buckle up for a tour of South Africa – your guide the inimitable Sihle Khumalo. Born in South Africa, and having lived here for almost fifty years, Khumalo reflects on the past and ponders the future of this captivating yet complex country. He delves into the history of the names given to our towns and cities (from Graaff-Reinet to Schweizer-Reneke to Zastron) and in the process raises issues we might not have interrogated fully.

Download or read book The Unusual Billionaires written by Saurabh Mukherjea and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 454 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Boer Invasion of The Zulu Kingdom 1837 1840 written by John Laband and published by Jonathan Ball Publishers. This book was released on 2023-02-16 with total page 443 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The battle of Blood River, or Ncome, on 16 December 1838 has long been regarded as a critical moment in the history of South Africa. It is the culminating victory by the land-hungry Boers who had migrated out of the British-ruled Cape and invaded the Zulu kingdom in 1837. Many Afrikaners long acclaimed their triumph as the God-given justification for their subsequent dominion over Africans. By contrast, Africans celebrate the war with pride for its significance in their valiant struggle against colonial aggression. In this account, John Laband deals as even-handedly as possible with the warring sides in the conflict. In contrasting their military systems, he explains both victory and defeat in the many battles that marked the war. Crucially, he also presents the less familiar Zulu perspective explaining the political motivation, strategic military objectives and fissures in the royal house. This is the first book in English that engages with the war between the Boers and the Zulu in its entire context or takes the Zulu evidence into proper account.

Download or read book Insights into the Rugby World Cup written by Nick Mallet and published by Jonathan Ball Publishers. This book was released on 2023-08-03 with total page 174 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ever since the springboks won the Rugby World Cup in 1995, South Africans have been passionate about the tournament that is the pinnacle of sporting achievement. Nick Mallett, who coached the Boks at the 1999 World Cup, has become a household name for his incisive and forthright commentary and analysis. Join him as he takes you into the beating heart of the tournament, which kicks off in Paris in September. He tackles the following key questions: •How strong are the Boks going into the RWC? •Who are the favourites to win, and why? •How does one 'play' the referee – both on and off the field? •What are playing conditions like in France, where Mallett coached for a decade? •Can Rassie Erasmus do it again and pull off a double win? Filled with keen insights, opinions and anecdotes of games past, this is a book every fan should read.

Download or read book Risking Life for Death written by Ryan Blumenthal and published by Jonathan Ball Publishers. This book was released on 2023-07-03 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every contact leaves a trace: a single strand of hair or a tiny droplet of blood can be the silent witness at a crime scene. Locard's Exchange Principle underpins all forensic science and holds that the perpetrator of a crime will bring something to the crime scene and leave with something from it. Forensic experts use this principle daily to catch murderers and assailants. In Risking Life for Death, South African forensic pathologist Ryan Blumenthal offers a master class in this singular forensic technique based on real-life case studies. With more than twenty years' experience in the field, Blumenthal explains how to look for clues and traces, and how what he does not find at autopsy is often more important than what he does find. In other words, the absence of evidence can sometimes be of greater value than the presence of evidence. His account also highlights the dangers forensic pathologists are exposed to daily. As they try to unravel the puzzle of someone's death, forensic pathologists often face life-threatening infections, toxic gases and the hazards associated with high-profile cases – in effect, risking their life to solve someone else's death. An understanding of Locard's Exchange Principle can help you become a medical detective in your own life, can help you be a happier person and can even provide you with a better philosophy for growing older, Blumenthal argues.

Download or read book Countdown to Socialism written by Anthea Jeffery and published by Jonathan Ball Publishers. This book was released on 2023-07-19 with total page 454 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With growth stalling, joblessness at crisis levels, and governance unravelling, most South Africans cannot fathom why the ANC does not embark on meaningful reform. The answer lies in what is seldom raised: the ruling party's unwavering determination to take the country by incremental steps from capitalism to socialism. This transformation is being implemented via a Moscow-inspired 'national democratic revolution' (NDR) dating back many decades. Despite the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991, the ANC/SACP alliance still sees the NDR as offering the 'most direct route' to socialism in South Africa – and hence as its bedrock strategy. The NDR has been implemented in many different spheres since 1994. By way of example, NDR interventions have already made millions of people unemployable and the mining sector largely 'uninvestable'. They now aim at land expropriation without compensation (EWC) and the effective nationalisation of private healthcare and pensions. The NDR is the key to understanding ANC rule over some 30 years – yet most South Africans have been kept in the dark on it. This book aims to fill that gap. Written in clear and simple language, it provides an indispensable primer on the NDR and its role in the countdown to socialism in South Africa.

Download or read book Bullet in the Heart written by Beverley Roos-Muller and published by Jonathan Ball Publishers. This book was released on 2023-05-24 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'A precious and rare publication ... The moving stories of love, longing and suffering provide valuable new insights into tumultuous times that helped shape South Africa.' – Max du Preez It is nine months this evening since I last saw the light in my own house, when I had to tear myself away from all that is dear to me. And today is also my little son's birthday. Oh, how I long for home. So wrote Michael Muller in 1901 as he gazed at the lights of Cape Town from a ship bound for Bermuda, after months of internment in a British POW camp in Simon's Town. The camps were full, so Boer prisoners were being sent to other parts of the empire. Michael's brothers, Chris and Pieter, were exiled to Ceylon while Lool was held in the Green Point camp in Cape Town. Remarkably, three of the brothers kept diaries, the only known instance of this happening in the Boer War. The scrawled notes of Chris on the evening after the legendary Magersfontein battle, the rain-dashed pages written by Lool in Colesberg, and the angry words penned by Michael about his treatment at Surrender Hill have the urgency of men determined to go on record. When Beverley Roos-Muller began to explore writing about the Boer experience of the war, she read the tiny diary of Michael, grandfather of her husband, Ampie Muller. It led her to the discovery of the other diaries and many more documents. She also records the brothers' difficult return home and examines the consequences for South Africa of the bitterness this strife evoked. This is a beautifully told account of the fellowship of four brothers in war, their capture and eventual recovery.

Download or read book National Liberation Movements as Government in Africa written by Redie Bereketeab and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-09-08 with total page 443 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Africa is well known for the production of national liberation movements (NLMs), stemming from a history of exploitation, colonisation and slavery. NLMs are generally characterised by a struggle carried out by or in the name of suppressed people for political, social, cultural, economic, territorial liberation and decolonisation. Dozens of NLMs have ascended to state power in Africa following a successful violent popular struggle either as an outright military victory or a negotiated settlement. National Liberation Movements as Government in Africa analyses the performance of NLMs after they gain state power. The book tracks the initial promises and guiding principles of NLMs against their actual record in achieving socio-economic development goals such as peace, stability, state building and democratisation. The book explores the various different struggles for liberation, whether against European colonialism, white minority rule, neighbouring countries, or for internal reform or regime change. Bringing together case studies from Somalia, Somaliland, Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, South Sudan, Namibia, Angola, Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Algeria, the book builds a comprehensive analysis of the challenges NLMs face when ascending to state power, and why so many ultimately end in failure. This is an ideal resource for scholars, policy makers and students with an interest in African development, politics, and security studies.