Staff Reporter , Pearlie Joubert 28 Jun Sex work provides cash in hand in place of a month-long wait for a salary. The majority of sex workers do not do the work because they enjoy itβalthough a small number doβand would prefer alternative work if it offered the same returns and flexibility. Brothel-based and self-employed sex workers earn far more than those who work on the street. The average monthly income for a street-based sex worker is about R2 while brothel-based women average R10 a month.
Choosing prostitution over domestic employment is therefore a rational choice, Gould and Fick found. The authors also failed a find a single prostitute who said she was forced by unscrupulous pimps to sell sex against her will. Those who knew of others being forced to sell sex said the pressure had come from their boyfriends or from drug addiction.
Based on this evidence we can conclude that deception and force is not a significant feature of the sex work industry in Cape Town.
However, Gould said the underground nature of the sex industry gave employers space to engage in unacceptable labour practices. She recommended the decriminalisation and regulation of this industry. She sent her three-year-old daughter to her mother in the Eastern Cape and, after some months searching for unskilled work in the city, she and her cousin moved to the streets. Each time a car stops, my heart starts beating faster and I have to think hard not to turn and run.
In a good month she makes R2 During the winter months business is generally slower and she makes between R and R1 Because the job is so dangerous, Vuyokazi works only during the day. She has never been charged, saying she pays a R bribe each time she is arrested. Create Account Lost Your Password? Toggle navigation Toggle profile.
