ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a sketch of people who are typically disputing in Msinga and the relationships that form the foundation of the tensions between them. The question of who is involved in conflicts – mostly people who are closely related – requires that we try to understand what it is about the circumstances in which people in Msinga find themselves that precipitates profound interpersonal conflict. Witchcraft accusations typically occur between people who know each other well. In particular, being accused of performing witchcraft can have grave consequences and even be injurious to the one so accused who can lose their reputation, be banished from their family and home or be subject to violence or harm. A key point to pay attention to with respect to the nature of witchcraft accusations is the close linkage between violence at the intrafamilial and social levels – that is, between interpersonal and public violence.
