Chronicle Editor
Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Chronicle Reporter
GWANDA residents have engaged authorities over brothels that are sprouting in the high-density suburbs which they say are promoting immorality and criminal activities in the mining town.
The Gwanda municipality said it has received complainants on the matter from residents in three wards through their respective councillors.
Residents have said most clients of brothels were patrons of shebeens. They said some houses have been turned into brothels and some of the commercial sex workers occupying them were from outside Gwanda.
The brothels and shebeens seem to be complementing each other as the sex workers provide services mostly to shebeen patrons.
Residents said most of the commercial sex workers are lured to the mining town by gold panners who are ‘‘very generous’’ when it comes to spending money.
“This problem is getting worse by each passing day and what worries us is that the authorities are not doing anything. We have a number of houses that are being used as brothels here in Gwanda and one of the houses is close to where I stay. Many commercial sex workers stay there,” said Mr Talent Nkomo, a resident in Ward 9.
He said what is disturbing is that some of the ladies entertain their clients during the day and they do not hide this from children.
“Condoms are strewn all over the place and it seems these ladies do not care about the morality of our children. Men go in and out of that house even during the day and most of them will be coming from a nearby shebeen,” said Mr Nkomo.
Another resident from Ward 8, Mrs Blessings Nyathi said the brothels and shebeens were attracting rowdy gangs of gold panners.
She said some of the gangs fight over commercial sex workers and at times the fights spill into neighbouring houses affecting innocent residents.
“It appears most of these commercial sex workers are from outside Gwanda and have been attracted to the mining town by these gold panners. The situation has worsened during the lockdown because other commercial sex workers that used to operate from town have relocated to the high-density areas.
“The nightclubs are closed so these commercial sex workers now get their clients from shebeens in the high-density suburbs,” said Mrs Nyathi.
She said it has become common for the gangs to fight over ladies and at times innocent residents are victims.
Ward 9 Councillor Thulani Moyo said some landlords now prefer commercial sex workers who pay more as they stay in groups.
He said the rate of break-ins in his ward was high and he suspected that it was because of the existence of brothels which were attracting criminals.
Clr Moyo said he had tried to engage the police over the matter on several occasions but nothing was being done.
Ward 8 Councillor Ntuthuko Ndebele said the problem was that most of the landlords whose houses had been turned into brothels live out of town hence it was difficult to engage them.
Gwanda Mayor Clr Njabulo Siziba said the municipality had received complaints from residents in Ward, 4, 8 and 9.
He said the Health and Housing committee was investigating the matter.
Clr Siziba said if indeed the houses had been turned into brothels, then council was going to request trading licences from the owners of the houses now being used as business premises.
“There is an outcry and our health and housing committee is investigating the reports. What residents should however, appreciate is that as council we have limited powers over what one does with his or her property,” he said.
Matabeleland South provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Loveness Mangena said they had not received a report on the matter but they will carry out investigations. — @DubeMatutu
Bongani Ndlovu
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