On the day she buried her child, Lydia Thotolo came home to find her brother waiting to tell her their family home had been sold. Weeks later, the new owner asked her to start paying rent — in the same yard where she was born. This is her fight to keep 4560 Mahlangu Street, Orlando East, a family home.
Lydia Thotolo buried her child in June. On the same day, she says, she came home from the funeral to find her brother waiting — not to comfort her, but to tell her their family home had already been sold, and that she needed to leave.
Lydia has lived at 4560 Mahlangu Street, Orlando East, her whole life — the home her grandparents built, and the home she was born in. Lydia is unemployed; she spent recent years caring for her child, who was disabled and needed full-time care, until her child’s death.
Her brother, Siphiwe Thotolo, who is employed and collects rent money from tenants living in the main house and in outside rooms he built on the property.
“The House Was Never Just His”
According to Lydia, the house belongs to the wider Thotolo family — her uncles and other relatives are still alive, though they live elsewhere. Because his brother was working and financially stable, he took responsibility for the household and for their grandparents’ care.
Everything changed, after his brother got married and moved in with his wife, Lydia says. I decide to move out of the main house into an outside shack. Then, in 2019, his brother announced that the house belongs to him — telling the family their grandfather had sold it to him.
A Story That Changed
When family members pressed him for proof of the sale, Lydia says, his account shifted — he began saying their grandfather had given him the house, rather than sold it. Lydia questions how her grandfather, elderly and unwell by then, could have made that decision.
The family says they have since learned of a will in which their grandfather named Siphiwe as custodian of the home, not its owner — and they still do not understand how the property came to be registered solely in his name. It’s a question they hope their High Court challenge will finally answer.
Grief, Then An Ultimatum
In May this year, Lydia and Siphiwe’s mother passed away. Lydia says their mother had not been allowed to stay in the main house while she was ill, and lived with Lydia in the outside shack instead, while tenants occupied the house.
Then, in June, Lydia buried her own child. It was that same day, she says, that Siphiwe told her the house was already sold. “I am not coping well with this situation, that my own brother could do this to me,” she says.
A Stranger At Her Door
Not long after, Lydia says, the “new owner” of the property arrived and told her she would need to pay R800 per month in rent or leave altogether, on the same yard, where she was born. Orlando East Residents Property Hijacking intervened, and told him to wait for the legal process to run its course. She says he has not approached her since.
Loxion Express reached out to Siphiwe Thotolo for comment. He declined to comment.
Now Before The High Court
The Orlando East Residents Property Hijacking has assisted Lydia to get in contact with an Attorney who is now helping the family to reverse the sale of the house and to challenge the validity of the Title Deed. Papers have been filed at the High Court. It will be up to the court to decide whether the sale can stand.
An Organisation Fighting For Families
Orlando East Residents Property Hijacking, led by Enoch Ndlovu, is working hard to assist residents across Soweto who find themselves at risk of losing their family homes. The organisation says it supports families not only with legal representation, but they educate residents about the options they have in case they are faced with such situations.
What Happens Next
All Lydia wants, she says, is for the family home to return to the custodianship of her uncles, as she believes her grandfather intended, so that she can raise her children in peace in the home she was born in. She and her children are taking things day by day, and anyone able to offer support while the matter makes its way through the courts can do so through Orlando East Residents Property Hijacking.
Loxion Express will publish a follow-up report once judgment is handed down. If you are dealing with a similar dispute over a family home in Soweto, the organisation can be contacted for assistance.
PROTECT YOURSELF AGAINST PROPERTY HIJACKING IN SOWETO
*Attend your ward community meetings. The information shared at these meetings can save your home.
*Keep your original Title Deed in a safe and secure place at all times.
*Check your property registration regularly at the Deeds Office: deeds.gov.za
*A legal eviction can only be carried out with a valid court order. No court order — no eviction.
*Contact the Orlando East Residents Property Hijacking organisation immediately if you suspect fraud.
CONTACT ORLANDO EAST RESIDENTS PROPERTY HIJACKING
Mr. Enoch Ndlovu : 083 249 3065
Miss Thuli Manyoni : 073 690 7913
Contact Loxion Express
WhatsApp: 081 79 777 96 | 066 130 9086
Email: admin@loxionexpress.co.za