This book expands and redefines the approach to the study of political elites through an interrogation of political elite formation in the context of the provincial legislature of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, over the period 1994-2004. The period covers two successive provincial government elections and two terms of office. KwaZulu-Natal is the only province where the Inkatha Freedom Party remains a significant political contender. The author presents a detailed study of the realization, accumulation and exercise of institutionalized political power. She argues that political elite agency shapes, enables and undermines political institutions and is dependent on a multiplicity of currencies, including social and political capital and patterns of culture, respect and institutional capacity. [ASC Leiden abstract]