TULANI NGWENYA
19th January 2021
SOUTH AFRICA – Migrant women and men from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) continue to migrate to South Africa in droves amidst the COVID-19 pandemic second wave in search of better prospects.
Upon arrival, disillusionment awaits many of them, and some turn to sex work for income as it is the ‘only available option.’ However, migrant sex workers operating in South Africa are suffering loss of income due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rufaro, a migrant sex worker for several years in Johannesburg’s Hillbrow area spoke with the publication saying, “Sex for money is the only option left for a person with my status in South Africa. I am in the country illegally, selling my body for money is my means to make a living and cope with COVID-19 as this is better than staying at home and see my children suffer and go hungry. What else can I do?”
Before the lockdown in 2020 Rufaro earned between R500 to R1000 per day however a year later she is luckily able to get R100 per day. “The little money that I now make is a victory each time. Sometimes you can work and never get paid or be beaten up and left in the middle of a bush,” Rufaro said.
“It is now very difficult to make a living on sex work in South Africa especially us who stand on the streets, I am even thinking of going online as other girls are doing,” Rufaro added.
In Johannesburg and Emalahleni sex for money is readily accessible and cheap. Investigations conducted in South Africa, Botswana and Lesotho revealed sex for work was is a billion dollar sector mostly run by migrants. COVID-19 has impacted greatly on this sector as many of them now have reduced earnings.
According to The Global Network for Sex Work Projects, since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, incidences of violence and harassment against sex workers, has increased in hot-spot areas and popular routes, used to conduct sex for cash acts.
Further investigations by the publication established that, the Hillbrow area in Johannesburg and French Street in Emalahleni (Witbank) are part of a larger network of source, transit and destination for migrant sex workers. Links have also been made of missing women and children to human trafficking and forced sex work, labor and other exploitation.
