WeeklySA_AdminQUICKIE: Ladies of the night forced to drop prices amid dwindling clients
By Ali Mphaki
Sex work, like most other industries, has flopped thanks to the ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic. Face to face with lustful but broke customers, nothing could rouse the ire of Jozi’s ladies of the night than the adjusted Level 3 curfew of 10pm to 4am which have been extended to October 15. They say it is eating on their time of “jabbing” with their clients.
Theirs was a whole night’s job, but due to Covid restrictions sex workers say they are forced to settle for the proverbial “quickie’ – as clients have to withdraw early to their homes before the curfew.
Competition has also become stiff, what with “fresh stock” having arrived from all over since last month’s looting frenzy in various parts of the country, shrieks Bubbles Makhoba (not her real name), a veteran of Nugget Street.
The increase in numbers have also seen a price drop, in line with the economic laws of supply and demand.
“It’s a simple Math,” says Bubbles. “Our numbers have increased and with less time on the streets it means less rounds and less rounds means less revenue,” she adds. Her “partner in crime” Yvodia Mmeli, 33, while mindful of the devastating impact of the coronavirus, say never has business been so limp like in the past more than 350 days of Covid restrictions.
She says they’ve been forced to start thinking out of the box, and in some instances had to adopt a “eat now pay later” method – but only to “select loyal clients” – just to make ends meet.
With time not on their side, another member of the sorority who gave her name as Candice, said the lack of business has left them between a rock and hard plate as they are also struggling to pay for their accommodation.
“In some instances we are forced to sleep with the landlords to compensate for our lack of payment,’ she says dabbing a tear.
But even with their challenges, most interviewed said they had no other alternative but to continue with their time tested trade.
The recent relaxation of the liquor ban has also seen a mild boom in their business, they say, even though many do not see it as a silver bullet to their woes.
‘We are now forced to start our work early, before it gets dark, and some of our high paying clients operate under the cover of darkness as they would not want to be seen which is a problem,” added a curvaceous Lindy Smith swiveling her hips. She said most of their day clients were either broke or wanted credit, which was not good for business.
Her parting shot was:
“Do you also want one… and stop asking too many questions,” before disappearing in a smoke filled bar.
MONEY OR THE JAB CONUNDRUM
The “No Jab No Mjolo” campaign has not been universally welcomed by sex workers in Jozi, who feel it will bring further complications to their trade.
“All we want is money, not vaccination passports from our clients’.
“We have to decide whether we are cops or ladies of the night,” barked out one Cindy.
“Just imagine having to ask every client if they’ve vaccinated or not, it is just not practical for our kind of work,’ added a teenager called Busilicious. Interestingly though, most of the sex workers Weekly SA Mirror spoke to said while they had been vaccinated, it would not be a prerequisite for their clients. “An unvaccinated client flushed with money would be a highly difficult proposition to reject,” they say.
“Ours is basically a hand to mouth job, and it’s going to be difficult to practice the no jab no sex thing since every cent counts,”
‘It is even difficult to apply the ‘one metre plus” rule in our industry,” the say.
The street workers were responding to Limpopo health MEC Phophi Ramathuba who has defended her department’s latest campaign slogan to ramp up vaccination among citizens 18 and older.
Last week, the department unveiled the campaign on social media, including the catchy phrase “mjolo [dating] slaps better when protected”.
“No condom, no sex. No vaccine certificate, no dating,” read the post.
Health Minister Joe Phaahla has also confirmed last Friday that the matter of mandatory vaccines has been raised for official consideration
On June 11 the government published a new Consolidated Direction on Occupational Health and Safety Measures in certain workplaces which requires that every employer must undertake a risk assessment.
This assessment should take into account the operational requirements of the workplace and whether it intends to make vaccination mandatory.
