NELSPRUIT – “A day which I will never forget was when I was treated like a queen for the first time in my life since I became a sex worker three years ago. It felt as if it happened yesterday. I wish I could rewind everything because I was in my own world, making money like nobody’s business.”
These were the words of one of the sex workers in the city who didn’t want to reveal her identity to Mpumalanga News.
This came after she had experienced the good life during the launch of the ANC’s manifesto for the national general elections which was held at Mbombela Stadium a week ago.
This publication learnt that hosting such an event didn’t only benefit hotels, B&B’s and restaurants, but also the sex workers on the streets who managed to fill their pockets as usually, in January a lot of people are broke.
“When we heard that our province would host a large event such as this one, we started to prepare ourselves because we knew that many people would be here. Badla izambane likampondo.
“It was a good start to the year in terms of making money. I can say that history was made in Mpumalanga in this industry when it comes to earning money. It was our Christmas. Even during the Fifa 2010 World Cup and African Cup of Nation games, many tourists flooded the town, including those from other countries. They became our regular clients and they supported us very well, but this one, was one of a kind. I was getting clients left and right every evening,” she said.
Asked by Mpumalanga News what was different this time around, she said, “Normally I charge a person R150 for the first round. In this industry in order to survive you need to be very wise njengoba sithi ukhisimusi ufika kanye ngonyaka (Christmas comes once a year). I increased my prices since I knew that I would be dealing with high-profile people. Their pockets are always full.
“Sometimes I charged R280 upwards even though some of them at first asked for discounts, but I know it’s their game. They ended up paying that amount because it was difficult for them to resist and if they pay they get what they want. What makes it different is that they were treating us very nicely, showing us respect. Our situations force us to do this job.”
