“People don’t realise that being able to do everyday things is a privilege,” Portia Mavhungu says. She had to use a wheelchair for seven months after breaking her pelvis and arm in a car accident. Unable to move her legs, Mavhungu relied on her family to help her in and out of her wheelchair when she needed to use the toilet. While the loss of her mobility was only temporary, her mental health took a turn for the worst. Mavhungu understood that many endure this struggle for a lifetime. So she decided to redesign the wheelchair.
During her recovery, Mavhungu started to think up ways to make the bathroom more accessible for people with disabilities. “Toilets are a part of our everyday lives and everyone should be safe, comfortable and happy using one,” she says. Her ideas soon materialised into the Para-Tube, a retrofitted wheelchair seat with an adjustable opening and built-in biodegradable bags that functions as a toilet.
To ensure the life-changing invention reaches those in need, Mavhungu and her partner Darusha Chellan founded the company PRD Logical Solutions. The duo have secured the funds and support to begin production and distribution of the innovative seat. “My goal is to drive independence for those who are bound to a wheelchair,” Mavhungu says. Thousands of people will benefit from her device, and she will stop at nothing until they receive it. “Clean, easy, and accessible toilets should be a right for all,” Mavhungu says.
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