Abstract This dissertation is based on a qualitative study conducted in Johannesburg to explore the
meanings that a group of Zimbabwean migrants attach to experiences of socio-political
violence, called Gukurahundi. Violence has been shown to have traumatic consequences, but
the meaning of the trauma is mediated by the context in which it occurs further on meanings
have been shown to be central to the healing strategies and mechanisms employed to cope
with the effects of the violence. Text from in-depth interviews and songs composed by
participants in this study formed the narrative text of experiences of violence that was
analysed using narrative methods. Key interpretations of the Gukurahundi violence found in
this study were framed in political terms and coping strategies employed were also political.
Coping is linked to the meanings attached to experiences and thus responding to socio
political violence requires a consideration of the context and the meanings attached if it is to
be relevant.