pt. 1. Party, power and class. The power elite in democratic South Africa : race and class in a fractured society -- The ANC circa 2012-13 : colossus in decline? -- Fragile multi-class alliances compared : some unlikely parallels between the National Party and the African National Congress -- Predicaments of post-apartheid social movement politics : the Anti-Privatisation Forum in Johannesburg. pt. 2. Ecology, economy and labour. Mass unemployment and the low-wage regime in South Africa -- Nationalisation and the mines -- Broad-based BEE? HCI's empowerment model and the syndicalist tradition -- 'Ask for a camel when you expect to get a goat' : contentious politics and the climate justice movement -- Hydraulic fracturing in South Africa : correcting the democratic deficits. pt. 3. Public policy and social practice. Understanding the persistence of low levels of skills in South Africa -- Equity, quality and access in South African education -- Health sector reforms and policy implementation in South Africa -- Cadre deployment versus merit? Reviewing politicisation in the public service -- Traditional male initiation : culture and the constitution. pt. 4. South Africa at large. South Africa and the BRIC : punching above its weight? -- The Swazi nation, the Swazi government and the South African connection.