Morningside businesses affected by sex workers

NOT everyone on McKenzie Road, Morningside agrees that sex workers doing their business on the street are noisy or a nuisance.

The Lesbian & Gay Community & Health Centre, which facilitates support groups for, and provides health care and well-being services, to a fair number of these men and women, says they are aware that for many it is either business or a means to an end.

The centre has programmes in place to assist those for whom sex work is a means to an end.

“For us, the women and men working here do not harass anyone, are not noisy or a nuisance. We have no experience of them using the street corners for a toilet like most random men do. We sometimes work until 11pm and our late clients, or attendants to some of our seminars and film screenings are not phased by them. No one has ever complained. We have been here since February 2013. We worry about crime though,” said Sbongiseni Mkhwanazi who is the Admin and Finance Officer at the Centre.

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However, what is of concern to the centre is the need to educate communities about the difference between ‘sex work’ and ‘prostitution’.

“In South Africa, we have a Sex Work Industry, that has a human resource which provides a service to a particular clientele. It is a willing seller, willing buyer environment. While not legalised yet, this is not the same as ‘prostitution’ which is linked to pornography and human trafficking and thrives on abuse, human rights violation and greed. We have reported our frustration with the level of police harassment and brutality in how they handle these service providers (but not the service users). ” added Mkhwanazi.

Meanwhile, two property owners who preferred to remain anonymous said it has become unpleasant for businesses located in the area.

“My employers lost a business tenant from the property two years ago due to the prostitution on McKenzie Road. The tenant had customers that would come in to see them and it just became too unpleasant for people to park and enter our premises, so they decided to relocate after having rented here for many years. The problem that all of us face, whether we own property here or not, is the harassment and solicitation of every man that stops his car, the litter that is thrown on the verge and in front of the property’s gates, urinating in the street and on the pavements, noise and the occasional fighting amongst the prostitutes,” she said.

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“We have phoned the police at various times about the problem, especially when there is fighting or the noise levels become so that a person can’t hear while on the telephone. Usually nothing happens. The police do drive by at times and speak to the girls. I don’t know what is said. In previous years the girls would run and hide if they saw a police vehicle approaching but they no longer seem to care and there is no attempt to evade the police anymore,” said another business owner.

Constable ZP Khomo, spokesperson at the Durban Central Police, has dismissed the claims and said there has been no complaints that have been lodged at Durban Central regarding these incidents.