‘Everyone is buying sex’
"We are human beings, we are not animals. Why would we do it outside, next to the street against a tree if we are renting a house?"
The Middelburg Observer had an interview with the women renting a house in Meyer Street, accused of being prostitutes.
Although they do not deny that they are sex workers, they say that passersby and neighbours are exaggerating to make it sound worse than it is.
“We are mothers. We do not do this for fun. Our children are in private schools. Sometime you have to cope with things like a father that runs away. That is what we are doing, taking care of our children.”
The women say that they have been renting the house for little more than a month. They are mostly from eMalahleni with one woman originally from the Eastern Cape.
“A man comes here, he puts on a condom, he f*cks and he leaves. He does not ask your number. There are no strings attached. You should be glad if your husband comes here rather than having an affair. We will not phone him in the middle of the night.”
One of the prostitutes say that racism is rife in Mpumalanga.
“You will never see a mixed race couple here. When the men walk with their wives they act like we are disgusting, but at night they come to us.”
They tell of neighbours visiting the house.
“You will see a man sneaking down the hallway with a girl. When he sees you, he asks you not to tell anyone.”
And tell on their clients they won’t. They do admit that black, white, pastors and policemen are clients.
“Everyone is buying sex in this country. Pastors, policemen, everyone.”
The women say they earn about R5 000 to R6 000 per month after taking care of their obligations. They say that they are not controlled by a pimp or a gang.
“I can understand that the neighbours might be unhappy, but they must choose, is it better for us to sit in the garage like we do, or would they prefer us in the streets? If you want the girls with the sexy clothing walking up and down the street, don’t look at us, go look at another house. We do this for safety.”
If you ask them tips on how to keep your man from cheating they look at you with a funny expression.
“Men are like dogs. They will do what they do. Just let them be dogs.”
