ABSTRACT
This chapter is ultimately concerned with the social implications of the matters that come before these forums – especially those that do so repeatedly – and the finite ability of the forums to deal with many of them effectively. The kinds of matters that arise and are brought to the attention of the vernacular dispute management forums in Msinga are both civil and criminal, and range in nature between personal, commercial, and public concerns. The primary commercial wrongs that occur in Msinga are contractual disputes. These disputes mainly concern breach of contract, largely pertaining to conflicts over cattle or money. Disputes related to death form another category of private wrongs. As in the case of private wrongs, commercial wrongs may principally occur between individuals, but they will often ultimately be managed as disputes between the families to which the individuals belong.
