Paper short abstract:

Giving an insight into the local manifestations of pre-election tensions and violence in KwaZulu-Natal, the paper concentrates on the methodological and ethical difficulties faced when aiming to ‘give a voice to all’ - one of the many dilemmas when conducting fieldwork in ‘dangerous fields’.

Paper long abstract:

In the run-up to the 53rd national conference of the African National Congress (ANC) in Mangaung in December 2012, the province of KwaZulu-Natal experienced a new recent spate of threat, intimidations and politically motivated murders. Reflecting on ethnographic field research conducted on the topic of 'political culture' in the province prior to the elections, the paper concentrates on a group of township residents who formed part of a regional shack dweller's movement - protesting against the development of a housing project, the scale of local corruption and the lack of basic service delivery. In the face of upcoming party and government elections, in which local elites sought to secure their stake, the protesting group soon faced severe threats and intimidations. Unravelling the tensions between the different local actors involved, promised invaluable insights into dominant features of local political culture. However, the dilemmas were also evident: In what manner would the emphasis on 'giving voice to all actors' compromise the safety of informants, assistants and the researcher? Concerning one's own presentation - what insights into the conflict dynamics should be shared (or deliberately left out) so as to establish rapport and ensure trust? How does one legitimise relations to perpetrators of violence, on the grounds that they continue to be important 'gatekeepers' within one's field of research? The author ties reflections on her interactions in the field (including own principles followed) to the tensions and limitations faced when aspiring to a thick description of the case study, while preserving vital anonymity in the stages of writing.