Elderly couple gets a home after living in toilet for 33 years

The days of living in a toilet for 33 years are over for a Soweto family after they were moved to a new house on Tuesday.

Abiel Mophunya, 83, his wife Agnes,73, and their son Tebogo, 29, moved to their new home in Lufhereng, Soweto, this week.

This came just two weeks after Sowetan reported on their plight. They had been living in a tiny room that used to be a school toilet at Basani Primary School in Tshiawelo. 

The room measures about 8m in length and is 6m wide. A curtain in the middle separates a "kitchen" from a "bedroom" that could only fit a double bed.

But Tuesday marked the beginning of their new life.

Agnes said no one will now be waiting outside when either of them take a bath. “The worst part of our daily lives was when one of us took a bath. Others would wait outside in the cold ... it was a bit better during summer,” said Agnes.   

The Mophunyas' new house has four rooms with a shower and an inside toilet.

Abiel said it all felt like a dream and they had mixed emotions because they were once promised a house but never signed any papers.

“We want to thank Sowetan for the job they have done for us. We have been staying in this toilet for 33 years, but they were able to find us help in just [a few] weeks.

“We couldn’t sleep yesterday [Monday]. We packed all night for the department [of human settlements] to find us ready,” said Abiel.

Provincial departmental of human settlements spokesperson Tahir Sema said: “The decision to allocate Mr Abiel and family a house was based on a special dispensation as a result of his condition and the desperate situation the family was in.”