Residents see red over prostitutes

GLENWOOD residents want the growing numbers of prostitutes who ply their trade along suburban roads in residential areas permanently removed, saying they are fed up having the women stand outside their homes, in driveways and on verges day and night. Residents say the women are noisy, use foul language and urinate, defecate and leave the areas where they ‘work’ in a mess and littered with condoms.

“From 6.30pm to 6.30am they are at it. They shout, they lift their skirts when cars drive by and you definitely get a crash course in swearing! There are six prostitutes in Che Guevara (Moore) Road at the moment, soon there will be 15, and then more. They even work in the rain and stand around with their umbrellas!” said an angry resident who did not want to be named.

Another resident, Ntombi Futhi, said the problem was so bad, she didn’t sleep at night.

“There’s no way anyone can sleep through this noise. They have to be on drugs to stay up the whole night like that. I was even propositioned by a man once when I was waiting for a taxi. He said he was looking for the women who are selling their bodies. What do you tell your children when they see this sort of thing outside your home? You can’t even walk on the pavements as the women defecate all over and leave used condoms lying around,”

An elderly resident agreed, saying she had to cover human faeces with sand because of the flied it attracted.

“This used to be such a nice area but these women are bringing it down, and are attracting undesirables to the area. They go back to their home and sleep but we can’t. It took me three years to sell my mom’s flat and I had to drop the price considerably, as people know about this problem. Our property values are declining rapidly,” she said.

Ntombi said it was sad to see how the area had declined, and how the prostitutes showed no respect for it.

“We have such fancy cars stopping for these women and huge trucks park in the road while the drivers have a good time. You can’t walk on the pavement in Keits Avenue for all the cars parked there while the men see these women,” she said.

Police, the residents say, have not been much help.

“The cops are useless. We’ve seen cop cars parked outside the one building where the women stay. I called the Umbilo SAPS once to complain about the women but the officer on duty didn’t even know what road I was talking about. I called the emergency line once and asked for any police other than Umbilo, as they seem to be in cahoots with these women, who are quiet for a while after we have complained, then come out again to carry on working. Once the police only came the next morning at 8.30am and questioned me as to where the women were, but it is usually dead quiet by that time,” said a resident.

Another resident who lives in Esther Roberts Road said the women working in the area were disgusting.

“I know they have to make a living, but they shouldn’t be allowed to operate in a residential area. They expose themselves, minus panties, to cars passing by and once a woman just squatted on my driveway to urinate. It’s in your face, children at schools in the area are exposed to it. They are noisy at night as well. I also blame the men who pick them up, if they didn’t, the women wouldn’t have work,” she said.

Heather Rorick from the Glenwood/Umbilo Crisis Centre, said: “Prostitution is the oldest trade in the book. I know we will never stop it completely, but I feel in Glenwood and the areas these women frequent, are just not right for them. We have schools, creches and churches in this residential area, where families, especially children, are being subjected to these women wearing no underwear and exposing themselves to everyone driving or walking past. It is also lowering the standard of our neighbourhood. I feel the men picking up these women should be arrested, as prostitution is still illegal in South Africa.”

Despite the criticism from residents, Lt Col Manuel Correa from Umbilo SAPS said he had never received complaints from residents in Che Guevara Road.

“If we had, we would’ve gone to sort the problem out. People need to follow the correct procedure, call in, report it and record the name of the person they spoke to. We do pick up these women, but because of the judicial system, they are out on the streets soon enough,” he said.