Residents want prostitutes removed
The Commission for Gender Equality has called on parliament to regulate and legalise the sex industry.
MARGATE residents and business owners are fed up with prostitutes who ply their trade and parade up and down Marine Drive all hours of the day.
They complain that the sex workers harass visitors and scare off prospective shoppers as they enter the town.
The seaside resort is advertised as a family holiday destination but the hookers are, according to the locals, scaring people away.
Another complaint is that children are being exposed to the methods (such as lifting skirts or flashing flesh) used by prostitutes to attract clients.
Sex workers are also blamed for leaving behind filth such as used condoms and soiled underwear and some people claim that they use the bushes along the road for their toilet facilities.
Of concern is also the age of the sex workers, many appear to be underage and therefore very vulnerable to physical abuse.
The prostitute problem in Margate has become a major issue which has prompted the civil rights organisation AfriForum to take up the matter with Hibiscus Coast Municipality.
Prostitution is illegal in South Africa, but the criminalisation of sex work is not going to solve anything.
The Commission for Gender Equality has called on parliament to regulate and legalise the sex industry.
Prostitution is known as the oldest profession in the world – it is not just going to go away – perhaps it is time to consider other ways of controlling it.
