Submitted to the FACULTY OF ARTS in fulfillment of the requirements for MASTERS DEGREE IN SOCIAL WORK In the Department of Social Work, University of Zululand, 1999. / The purpose of the study was to investigate the impact of political violence on the lives of children in Mandini. The motivation for the study came from the number of people who came to the social worker's office reporting children who were having problems after being exposed to violence. The researcher used the exploratory research design. The sample consisted of thirty five (35) children who were affected by political violence in Mandini between 1994 - 1996. The population consisted of children between nine (9) years and eighteen (18) years. The sample which "consisted of children was taken from schools, case files in the welfare office, Psychologist's office and in their homes. The interviews were conducted between August 1998 and September 1998. The interview schedule was used. The study was limited to the impact of political violence on the lives of children. Future studies could focus on the prevention of violence. There is a need for social workers to use the developmental approach to be able to deal with violence. The study found that violence had an impact on the lives of children in Mandini. The study found that violence was caused by politics and it affected the children in that they witnessed the fighting and killings. The study found that the children were personally affected by violence in that they were injured and their relatives were injured and some were killed. The study showed that the children lost their homes during violence. It came to light that children experienced problems during violence in 1994 - 1996. The children suffered long-term disabling effects of violence. The study showed that the children need help to cope with the after effects of violence.