'This is How it Works' is the accompanying ballad to the book How South Africa Works – and must do better by Jeffrey Herbst and Greg Mills, which will hit local bookshelves at the start of July 2015. Published by Pan Macmillan, the book argues that South Africa has gone from a society divided by race and apartheid to, now, access to jobs. If the unemployment challenge, which falls mainly on African youths, is not addressed, it will be impossible to sustainably lift many millions of people out of poverty.

Based on several hundred interviews with politicians, business- and opinion-leaders, and analysts across South Africa, the book digs into the challenges and opportunities across key productive sectors – including agriculture, manufacturing, services and mining. It scrutinises the social grant and education systems to understand if South Africa has established mechanisms where people can not only escape destitution but be ready to be employed.  Despite the challenges of current day South Africa, Herbst and Mills find that some entrepreneurs have nonetheless be able to build world-class companies.

Recognising the essential challenge to cultivate more employers to employ people and the deep talent that resides in the private sector, ‘How South Africa Works’ offers and agenda and actions for greater competitiveness for each of government, business and labour.

Greg Mills is director of the Johannesburg-based Brenthurst Foundation. He is widely published on international affairs, development and security, an adviser to African governments, a regular columnist for local and international newspapers, and the author of the bestselling books ‘Why Africa is Poor: And What Africans Can Do About It’ (2010) and, with Jeffrey Herbst, ‘Africa’s Third Liberation’ (2012). In addition, in 2014, he published ‘Why States Recover: Changing Walking Societies into Winning Nations – from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe’.

Jeffrey Herbst is the 16th President of Colgate University, a leading liberal arts college in the United States, and has written extensively on political and international affairs. Dr Herbst started his career as a professor of politics and international affairs at Princeton University where he taught for 18 years. His primary research interests are in the politics of sub-South Africaharan Africa, the politics of political and economic reform and the politics of boundaries. He has served on the Advisory Board of the Brenthurst Foundation since 2005

'This is how it works' has been written by Robin Auld and Mills. Mixed at Murray Anderson’s Cape Town Milestone studio, it is performed by a band brought together for the occasion, the Philippi All-Stars, additionally comprising pianist Hilton Schilder, Barry van Zyl on the drums, Peter Ndlala (Bass) and backing singers Fancy Galada, Zami Mdingi and Poseletso Sejeosingo.