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then I was taken in by this ‘good Samaritan’ who promised to house and clothe me. She unfortunately recruited me into commercial sex work. We would go to bars and she would help us find men. At first I was shy and I would stand in the dark corners but as time went on, I was unfazed by the profession.
“As the queen mother she collected the money and gave me a paltry percentage. A few months later I started cheating her and getting men behind her back. Our relationship soured and I broke away from her and became my own boss.
“I was young and beautiful. Men rushed for me. I started sleeping with men when I was 14. I didn’t know what a condom was or anything else but she taught me. I thank her for at least, teaching me condom use. I have no option but to go to the place where haulage trucks queue for coal and park overnight.
“If there is no business that side, I join other young girls to go from one bar and nightclub after the other. Some men are too rough; they take advantage of my age and pay me little. Others don’t pay at all. From what I was getting I had enough to keep me going next day or two,” Prudence (not her real name) narrated how she became a prostitute.
Poverty coupled with decadence of the moral fabric has lately seen a proliferation of prostitution in the mining town of Hwange. According to National Aids Council such an increase was noted since 2009.
Sex workers have flooded most beer outlets in the town amid reports that some desperate ladies of the night are now charging as little as US$2 for their services.
It is also established that a large percentage of these ladies of the oldest profession were coming from the rural areas where they are compelled to migrate to town to eke out a living.
While a handful of girls migrating from villages get employment mostly as house- maids, the rest have no choice but to join the prostitution wagon.
In this profession there is also a notable increase of male prostitutes that target the female tourists for clients.
The National Behaviour Change sex work programme confirmed the increase in sex work in Hwange.
Ms Sibongile Mutetwa from the National Behaviour Change Sex Work programme said the number of sex workers increased per site from 65 to 310.
“The number of sex work increased per site from 65 in 2009, 176 in 2011 and 310 to date,” she said.
Although soliciting for sex still remains illegal in Zimbabwe, she said, the sex workers mostly women, enter sex work to supplement their income.
She added that most sex workers often have to be mobile in order to lure more clients. They want to have fresh faces, remain anonymous and sometimes follow the clients to their areas.
It was also revealed that men pay more to women to have unprotected sex.
She also confirmed that sex workers are less likely to use condoms with regular clients and attractive clients hence exposing them to the risk of HIV and Aids.
Resultantly the district has the highest number of sexually transmitted infections in Matabeleland North recording 10 584 new STI cases in 2012 compared to the 8 416 the previous year. This is despite an increase in the distributing of condoms.
“Hwange and Tsholotsho districts recorded the highest number of new STI cases in 2012 with 2 731 and 2 104 cases respectively,” said NAC in a statement.
NAC said the high number of STI cases was an indication that people are were not using protection consistently and there was a need for condoms to always be available.
The council said 2012 had the highest distribution of condoms in the seven districts of the province compared to 2011.
“A total of 2 672 742 condoms were distributed during the year, 2 509 936 for males and 162 806 for females compared to 2 117 960 that were distributed in 2011.The highest number of condoms was distributed from October to December while the least was between April and June.”
Meanwhile, the behaviour change sex work programme has come up with a strategy to reduce the risk of HIV and Aids by working together and supporting sex workers.
“Our programme requires each sex worker to have a safer working environment, all women should say no to sex without a condom then their clients are forced to accept this,” Mrs Mutetwa said.
She said sex workers should also look out for each other in order to reduce violence, to encourage all women to access STI treatment, care and to provide support if HIV positive.
Although rates of HIV in Zimbabwe are now falling from 29 percent in 2001, 15,9 percent in 2007, 15,3 percent in 2012, research shows that sex workers are one of the very vulnerable groups to HIV and are at great risk of transmitting and contracting the virus.
Rutendo Mapfumo is a journalist based in Hwange. She can be contacted at [email protected]
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