Abstract
Refugee integration remains one of the most complex challenges in contemporary migration studies, shaped by structural inequalities, bureaucratic exclusion, and community-based responses. This study examines the integration of Mozambican refugees in Bushbuckridge, South Africa, with a focus on the role of community-based organisations in fostering social cohesion. Drawing on Jane Jenson’s (1998) framework of social cohesion - comprising belonging, inclusion, participation, recognition, and legitimacy - the research analyses how exclusionary state practices, such as the blocking of identity documents, have hindered integration and how grassroots initiatives have emerged to counter these barriers. Using qualitative methods, including participant observation and interviews, the study explores how Mahlo ya Rixaka, a local organisation led by former refugees, mobilises collective action to challenge bureaucratic exclusion and rebuild solidarity. The findings reveal that while state institutions often reproduce marginalisation through administrative inertia, local actors reconstruct social cohesion through shared identity, advocacy, and community participation. These processes mirror broader global patterns in which nongovernmental and community-based organisations serve as intermediaries between displaced populations and host states. The study concludes that refugee integration is not solely a policy outcome, but an ongoing social process negotiated through everyday practices of belonging and recognition. Grassroots organisations like Mahlo ya Rixaka demonstrate how community mobilisation can transform exclusion into agency, offering critical insights into locally grounded approaches to refugee inclusion in rural South Africa.