The thesis aims at bringing into light the horrible traumatic experience of Poverty under which the former Moçambican refugees living in the Bushbuckridge area near Hazyview live. Unlike other writers who define poverty as a mere “insufficiency of the material necessities of life” (Hammond 2003:61) and “the inability of individuals, households or entire community to command sufficient resources to satisfy a socially acceptable minimum standard of living” (Pieterse 2001:30). The author approaches poverty in a holistic and integrated way, taking into account the political, economic, social, and behavioural as well as the spiritual component. The historical background of the violent war in Moçambican is given to enable the reader to understand how the Moçambican people were traumatized by the brutal killings that forced them to flee for safety in neighbouring countries including South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Malawi, etc. The author further aims at challenging the church, government, civil society and other concerned stakeholders to contribute meaningfully in working towards bringing positive change in the living conditions of these refugees. The combination of both quantitative and qualitative approaches is used to collect data necessary for the education of stakeholders on the poverty situation of the refugees. Academic literature alone is seen not to be sufficient as it may hover above the experience of these refugees. Quantitative approach will therefore help to engage the refugees to tell stories from their perspectives. The use of a structured questionnaire form is therefore used to obtain the data needed to help the concerned stakeholders gain a truer perception of the situation. This engagement of stakeholders is aimed at providing the refugees with opportunities to increase their awareness, and to help in the development of their skills to help them live effectively and deal with their problems more competently and independently. The study concludes with a summary of each chapter, suggesting ways and means of how the problem of persistent traumatic poverty among the Moçambican refugees can be addressed. / Dissertation (MA (Theology) : Practical Theology)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Practical Theology / unrestricted

Abstract This research report examines the relationship between legal status and national identity formation. It is based on a qualitative research of former refugees from Mozambique who have lived and settled in the Northern Province of South Africa now called Limpopo province in the border areas with Mozambique for over twenty years. The report compares the narratives of former Mozambican refugees in South Africa who have acquired permanent residence and citizenship with those that are undocumented. The distinction between undocumented and documented former refugees allows me to look at the role of access to services in identity formation, since most government services in South Africa, as elsewhere, are not accessible without legal documentation. Since most services are, however, accessible for both permanent residents and citizens, the distinction between these two statuses allow me to explore whether there is a more symbolic meaning attached to citizenship. Drawing from citizenship theory, variations in the attachment to South Africa or Mozambique that emerged in the research data are analysed in terms of the refugees’ experience of social inclusion or social exclusion norms. The benefits of social inclusion and how it shapes positive attitudes towards attaching to South Africa is discussed.