Self reliance: the key to success for Mozambican refugees in South Africa

Many refugees fled Mozambique’s civil war during the 1980s and settled in neighbouring South Africa. The then-Apartheid government in South Africa refused to recognise the settlers as refugees which meant international organisations were unable to offer support. What lessons can be learnt from this experience, where aid agencies and the regional government were unable to provide assistance?

Following the end of civil war, only ten percent of refugees returned to Mozambique. In 1996 the post-apartheid government declared a limited amnesty that ended the refugee status of those who had stayed on. Some acquired South African citizenship and permanent residency, building on the social and kinship ties that existed before they arrived as refugees in South Africa.

A working paper from the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees describes the refugees’ response to their flight from civil war and their settlement in South Africa. Unable to access aid assistance, the refugees became self-reliant by adopting multiple income-generating means. These included subsistence agriculture, formal and informal employment, petty trading, mutual aid and remittances. Using these methods, the refugees successfully protected themselves against the risks of political and food insecurities. 

The report challenges the stereotypical view of refugees as dependent and parasitic on their host communities. For example, the arrival of the Mozambicans brought about a return of farming and an increase in food security for local communities. In contributing to the discussion around ‘development through local integration’, the report finds that:

• Refugees contribute resources and cultural benefits in their areas of refuge.
• The non-involvement of humanitarian organisations meant the refugees were forced to develop strong relationships with members of their new communities.
• Access to land and freedom of movement enables refugees to establish ways of supporting themselves rather than relying on others as it happens in refugee camps.
• For many refugees, rural areas represent security as a source of self-provisioned food and social and family relationships, while urban areas are considered a high risk.

The Mozambican refugees have been resourceful and resilient in responding to their new surroundings. Yet the South African government and humanitarian organisations can still support the refugees in their communities. The report suggests that although self-reliant, many refugees who have not yet acquired citizenship or permanent residence would benefit from doing so. The report offers a number of recommendations for policymakers:

• For long-term planning, proactive self-reliance should be encouraged and promoted over humanitarian assistance.
• Providing inputs such as farm services and new technologies would improve the job opportunities and incomes for both refugees and the local community.
• Land distribution for refugees must proceed on a country-by-country basis, taking local circumstances into account.
• Restrictive rules must be lifted to allow refugees the freedom to get incomes that are similar to those of their host communities.

Source(s):
‘Confronting uncertainty and responding to adversity: Mozambican war refugees in Limpopo Province, South Africa’, UNHCR, Working Paper No 105, by Frederick Golooba-Mutebi, June 2004 Full document.

Funded by: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

id21 Research Highlight: 19 September 2005

Further Information:
Evaluation and Policy Analysis Unit
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
CP 2500, 1211 Geneva 2
Switzerland

Tel: +41 (0)22 739 8111
Contact the contributor: mutebi@soft.co.za, fgmutebi@yahoo.com

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Other related links:
'Transnational refugees: Understanding integration and return'

'Integrating refugees locally could be a durable solution'

'Educating young people in emergencies; Time to end the neglect'

'Staying put: time to join refugee self-sufficiency with local integration?'

Refugees International's note on Mozambique