Author and analyst Crispian Olver visited Eusebius McKaiser in the CapeTalk/702 studio to discuss his book A House Divided: The Feud That Took Cape Town to the Brink.

A House Divided examines the 2018 drought in Cape Town – as ‘Day Zero’ approached. The ruling Democratic Alliance removed control of the water issue from Mayor Patricia de Lille, and while politicians turned on each other, revealing deep-lying faultlines and new enmities, critical questions arose: What lies behind the fallout, and what, if any, deeper interests are at play?

Against this fraught backdrop, Olver resolves to explore how the city is run, and he sets his sights in particular on the web of connections between local politicians and property developers.

Interviewing numerous people – including many dropped from the City administration in questionable circumstances – he uncovers a Pandora’s box of backstabbing, infighting and backroom deals.

‘It’s a very important book,’ McKaiser says, ‘I don’t know how you managed to make technocratic detail this interesting!

‘I’m not insincere when I recommend a book that is worth buying and owning, so well done.’

Listen to the conversation:

Categories Non-fiction South Africa South African Current Affairs

Tags A House Divided Crispian Olver Eusebius McKaiser Jonathan Ball Publishers Podcasts