Against the Tide by Steven Friedman

For the past few days, extortion rackets have been the main news item. That is a promising sign - it shows that a problem which has been around for years is finally being noticed. This may well be happening because government is no longer the preserve of only one party and politicians are realising that they have to show voters that they can improve people's lives.  It may be an early sign that the new reality is working for voters

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Steven Friedman is a public commentator and an academic, currently employed as a Research Professor at the University of Johannesburg. He has been writing on South African politics for the entire democratic period both as a scholar and public commentator. He has published books on South Africa’s transition to democracy, the role of the trade union movement, and current South African politics. He has also written columns and articles for several South African newspapers. His writing seeks to use academic research to shed light on current politics but to ensure that this is conveyed in a way easily understood by people who have no academic training.