By

“South Africa, like so many other countries, was faced with a past blighted by gross human rights violations which had occurred during centuries of colonialism, racism, and repression. ” (Boraine, 2000, p. 3) In the aftermath of apartheid, millions of South Africans are struggling to meet their basic survival needs of obtaining food and maintaining shelter. Yet, little research has been done on how this daily struggle for survival affects the South Africans ’ meaning and motivation in life. The purpose of this study was to examine the motivation and meaning of a sample of South African people, specifically – the car watcher. It focused on the personal histories of people who were once oppressed under apartheid and examined what hopes they might have for the future and how their current living conditions affect their expectations for the future. This study investigated: (a) the background of the car watcher and his family members, (b) the car watcher’s satisfaction with the quality of life, (c) the car watcher’s hopes for the future, and (d) the impact of oppression on the car watcher’s life. Six domains emerged from the data of the ten participants: (1) Famil