A Missiological Exploration of a Pentecostal Church's
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A MISSIOLOGICAL EXPLORATION OF A PENTECOSTAL CHURCH’S CONTRIBUTION TO MIGRANTS’ SOCIAL INTEGRATION IN DURBAN BY MUBILI NZWIBA Submitted in accordance with the requirement for the degree of MASTER OF THEOLOGY in the subject of MISSIOLOGY at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA SUPERVISOR: PhD. GENEVIEVE LERINA JAMES CO-SUPERVISOR: PROF. J.N.J. KRITZINGER November 2012 i DECLARATION Student number: 3601-269-6 STATEMENT: I declare that: A missiological exploration of a Pentecostal church’s contribution to migrants’ social integration in Durban is my own work and that all the sources that I have mentioned or quoted have been indicated and acknowledged by means of complete reference. Signed : Date : November 2012 Name : Mubili Nzwiba ii DEDICATION To the Lord my God, for having sponsored this dissertation through a scholarship, To my late parents who have endured sacrifices to instil in me the passion for education, To all migrants who are in the quest of integration and a sustainable livelihood, I dedicate this work. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The completion of this work is the result of PhD. James’s financial planning that was to convince my colleagues, Paulo Martinho and Julio Mutemba, to share with me their scholarship. This generosity allowed me to cover different costs that this study required. Without this ingenuity this work would not have reached its completion. I express my sincere gratitude. My special thanks to my two colleagues, Martinho and Mutemba for having been so kind as to accept PhD. James’s financial arrangement in my favour. My thanks go to the UNISA Department of Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology for having made it possible for masters and doctoral students to gather each year in Pretoria for academic and missiological discussions. The academic insight gained during these discussions has been of great value to both the quality of this dissertation and to my shaping as a missiologist. My thanks are expressed to Benjamin Lukola, Faith Ministries’ senior pastor for allowing me to further my academic studies while working as the church secretary. His faith to see Africans prospering spiritually, academically and economically has been my morale booster. I would like to acknowledge the special contribution of Mrs Lulu Gordon who pre-edited this dissertation at no charge despite her numerous professional duties. Her love and support to the migrant community will always be appreciated and testified. My warm thanks are expressed towards my wife and children for their encouragement and for having been so patient with me during the five years of intense academic work. Without their moral support this dissertation would surely have experienced severe delay and even interruptions. To all interviewees who agreed to provided views on the issue of migrants’ social integration and thus contributed to the purpose of this dissertation, I express my special thanks. Lastly, may different people that I have not mentioned accept the expression of my gratitude for their various contributions to the accomplishment of this dissertation. May the Lord Almighty bless all. iv ABSTRACT The subject of migrants’ social integration in receiving countries is a growing debate in the 21st century amongst the international community and the nations of the world. It is a serious concern for many organizations advocating for social justice. The Church worldwide and the migrant church in Durban South Africa in particular, is called to be among the defenders and promoters of migrants’ social integration; integration which will bring forth migrants’ social and economic contribution to the development of Durban’s social and economic life. This view of this study is that in the post-apartheid period sufficient attention has not been paid by the South African government, policy-makers and the church in the welcoming and protection of migrants who have “flooded” the country. The lack of preparedness has resulted in migrants being used as scapegoat by some South Africans on the pretext that they lower the country’s social life, steal national citizens’ jobs and commit crime. This growing social and economic discomfort in South Africa resulted in xenophobic violence in May 2008. The dissertation surveys migrants’ challenges in South Africa and Durban in particular. It explores the response of a migrant Pentecostal church called Faith Ministries Durban (FMD) to these challenges, as well as its contribution to the promotion of Congolese migrants’ social integration. The study further explores, among other aspects, the theology of migration. This exploration is a call to theologians to advocate for migrants’ care and rights so that they may not endure discrimination, abuse and struggle because of them being outsiders. Migrants have to benefit equal rights as fellow South Africans. From the life narratives of ten FMD’s members, the study explores FMD’s role in the lives of its migrant members. KEY WORDS Theology, Religion, Missiology, Migration, Migrant, Refugee, Social Integration, Xenophobia, Congolese, Hospitality, Ubuntu, Faith Ministries Durban, South Africa. v ABBREVIATIONS ANC : African National Congress AUC : African Union Commission CIS : Centre for Immigration Studies (USA) CODUR : La Congolaise du Durban (Congolese of Durban) DHA : Department of Home Affairs DRMC : Dutch Reformed Mission Church DRC : Democratic Republic of the Congo EMCC : Erga Migrantes Caritas Christi FMD : Faith Ministries Durban GCIM : Global Commission for International Migration IFP : Inkanta Freedom Party IOM : International Organization for Migration MEIA : Ministère Evangélique International d’Affermissement (International Evangelical ministry of Strengthening) NGO : Non Governmental Organization OAU : Organization for the African Unity SAPS : South African Police Service SACC : South African Council of Churches SANDF : South African National Defence Force SAMP : South African Migration Project UK : United Kingdom USA : United State of America UN : United Nations WMR : World Migration Report YSA : Yahweh Shammah Assembly vi LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Table of Kritzinger’s praxis matrix as reflected in the study ..................................... 5 Table 2: FMD administrative chart ........................................................................................ 48 Table 3: conceptual framework ............................................................................................ 107 vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Declaration ............................................................................................................................... ii Dedication ............................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................. iv Abstract .................................................................................................................................... v Key words ................................................................................................................................ v Abbreviation ............................................................................................................................ vi List of tables ............................................................................................................................ vi Chapter one ............................................................................................................................. 1 1.0. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Description of the context ............................................................................................... 2 1.2. Definition of terms .......................................................................................................... 3 1.3. Rational of the study ....................................................................................................... 3 1.4. Lack of preparedness of the socio-political structure ...................................................... 4 1.5. Lack of preparedness of the church ................................................................................. 4 1.6. Analytical framework ...................................................................................................... 5 1.6.1. My insertion ........................................................................................................ 6 1.7. Research aims .................................................................................................................. 8 1.8. Research questions .......................................................................................................... 8 1.9. Research methodology .................................................................................................... 8 1.9.1. Qualitative analysis ............................................................................................ 8 1.9.1.1. Participation observation ...................................................................... 9 1.9.1.2. Interviews ............................................................................................. 9 1.10. Structure of chapters ...................................................................................................... 10 1.11. Some problems related to the study .............................................................................