Living in a bathroom for 20 years

The room in which Mthembu lives with her two sons Masani, 13, and Mokhi Mthembu, 7, used to be the outside bathroom of a bigger house. When the owners left, Mthembu took over the bathroom because she had nowhere else to go, she says. She has since built on a second room using old metal and wood.

The dwelling, which is surrounded by new houses on the other side of Thornville, leaks when it rains and the floor gets flooded, she says.

“It has become normal that we sleep in the house that leaks. I was among the people who sent an application for the first housing project in the area. No one came back to me and told me what went wrong. I lost hope and I didn’t bother following it up.”

Mthembu, who supplements her income from the child grants with occasional piece work, says her sons have come to terms with the condition of the house they live in. “Life has been difficult for us but things got worse when I lost my husband,” she says.

In one room there is one single bed which Mthembu shares with her two sons. In the other room, the former bathroom, they keep their belongings and food. They take turns to wash.

“My sons have to go and sit outside until I finish bathing. They are familiar with that but it breaks my heart to see them living this kind of a life. I have never lived a normal life like a normal person. For decades I have been living in a bathroom.”

Mthembu says she had hoped the government would prioritise the needy. “I was happy when we were told that we are free. I did not vote in 1994 when others voted, because I didn’t have an Identity Document at the time. I was happy that some of the people did vote.”

“One woman thought a dog lives here and that broke my heart. Nothing will change unless we get a better house.”

The councillor for the area, the ANC’s Sindi Gwala, said she didn’t know about Mthembu’s plight but would investigate. She would contact the community care giver in the area and intervene, she said. “If there children involved, that matter must be taken seriously.” She explained that the municipality does have a housing project in Thornville.