Prostitution in transit: A day in Beitbridgea��s red light

It is not something that we openly talk about in families if one of you is involved in that trade.A� Sometimes we can only watch helplessly as one generation begets the next generation of flesh peddlers.A� There is no running away from it, prostitution has been with us for ages but it has taken on a new dimension or slowly grown into an industry that has no respect for age groups as it employs both the young and the old.A� A recent National Aids Council media tour of their various interventions in Matabeleland South brought the challenge of prostitution to the fore.

The tour would take us to Beitbridge, Gwanda and Insiza districts where the National Aids Council supports or initiated projects to assist those affected by HIV or is raising awareness among communities.A� The border town, Beitbridge, was our first stop.A� I will limit my account to the border town that I believe has people from all over Zimbabwe. Having arrived late into the night and exhausted, the town did not offer much and we looked forward to the following night to discover the night life and test all theories that we had heard about the busy town.

Interacting with Beitbridge residents during the day around the Truck Inn where NAC had pitched up a tent to offer testing and counselling services to truck drivers and residents, we soon discovered that some of the women roaming around the parked trucks were actually sex workers.A� Commonly known as ladies of the night, that seemed like a misnomer because business seems to be booming even during the day.A� At the truck inn, you find truck drivers, truck washers, sex workers and an odd herbalist, another beneficiary of the sex industry.

As we chat with the truck drivers and inquire on the bizarre stories that they let strange creatures drive their trucks while they rest during the journey, or while they entertain the women, a herbalist comes along singing praises of his herbs that he claims improve sexual prowess.A� The herbalist, Philip Zvinorova, services this niche market of truck drivers and seems to be known around here.A� We offer to buy some of his herbs and he quickly opens his bag, even telling us he accepts mobile money payments!

Interestingly, he seems quite knowledgeable about HIV and Aids issues and says he has medicines that treat certain sores associated with HIV.A� He claims to have treated quite a number of patients suffering from sexually transmitted diseases though he would refer those with conditions that he could not deal with to hospital.A� The women that sell sex buy organ tightening herbs from the herbalist while the ladiesa�� customers buy aphrodisiacs from the old man.

a�?They know me around here.A� These herbs really work and please do not take them if your wife is away because that would expose you to risk,a�? he says, as he dispenses the herbs to one customer.

The ladies are suspicious of this group of strangers and shy away while some make false claims on where they work.

Later in the afternoon by a high density suburb shopping centre, the place teems with people seeking testing services.A� It is here that we learn that after sunset, there is a boom in the sex business.A� There are sex workers that live in the town, some in transit, and the local ones.A� There are also many brothels, short time venues among the houses close by, we are told. Having seen quite a bit and interacted with the residents we got back into the tour bus as part of the crew sought satisfactory accommodation, having spent the night in less than ideal lodgings due to limited time to look around as it was late at night.

Our first stop, a lodge near the highway, looks quite inviting with its African look that would draw any tourist seeking African hospitality.A�A� As a few guys visit the reception we remain seated in the tour bus.A� However, curiosity gets the better of some of us as the lodge staff take the crew around to show them what they had to offer in the form of chalets dotted around.A� We join in and tail the guide.

We notice that quite a number of chalets are occupied and since we were walking briskly to catch up with the crew with the guide, some of the occupants must have spotted the two men seemingly headed their way.A� A lady peeped through the door and then there was giggling behind the door and then a curtain pulled open , and some more laughs.A� Meanwhile, the guide was halted by some ladies seated outside their chalets.

a�?I am sure you are lost.A� Your section is over there, this is our place,a�? said one big bodied woman.A� The guide immediately turned back.

We decided to knock on this curious chalet where giggling was ongoing, seemingly to attract our attention.A� The door opened almost immediately and we were ushered in.A� There were two beds in the room and three fashionably dressed ladies.A� We exchange greetings and inquire on accommodation, noting that they would make good neighbours since their laugh had made us feel welcome.

We are immediately told that should we need entertainment it would cost us $10 for short time.A� The rates, we argue, were much higher than we had heard.A� One of the ladies performs a mini strip-tease, virtually undressing before us showcasing what she said was obviously worth more than $10. While she did the strip tease, her partner locked the door and flung the key onto the wardrobe at the far end of the room.A� We look at each other with my friend.A� Feigning confidence under the circumstances, we told the ladies that we were yet to finalise our booking at the same lodge and that there was no need to rush.A� One of the ladies tosses condoms on the bed and says you can take your pick or have all of us one after another.

a�?You just change condoms and move over to the next and give each one of us $10,a�? said the talkative one.

We asked about payment options, saying we would come back better prepared after making our bookings.A� It was strictly cash, that we said we did not have, but could try and acquire if they released us.A� The lady who had locked the door said through some muffled laugh that she could not find the keys.A� Meanwhile, the stripper was now changing into a see-through, figure hugging dress.

Seeing that they could not immediately squeeze any cash out of our pockets, the keys were foundA� and the door opened.A� What a relief it was!A� We joined the rest of the crew and immediately shared our encounter.A� It turned out the three prostitutes had booked the room the previous day and they were entertaining their customers there. We start wondering where hotels and lodges here derive their income, seeing two major hotels closed in recent years in the town.

We moved to the next lodge as the guys continued seeking accommodation.A� After the close shave, we were now more than determined to explore an area near the bus terminus and Dulivhadzimu Stadium, known as kumaDurawall.A� We were told that lower rates prostitutes operate in the area, and that under-age girls have also joined the trade.A� After the imbibing friends had their fill at around 10pm, we headed for the Durawall section, with a friend based in the town.A� There was such a concentration of flesh in such a small area it was unbelievable.

As we slowly eased our way, our attention is drawn to some donkeys mating opposite the many scantily dressed women near the bus terminus gate.A� It is almost spiritual, one of us remarks on the mating donkeys alongside the prostitutes waiting for customers, mostly bus crews and touts, in addition to many others seeking discounted rates.A� The rates on bad days, we were told, could be as low as five rand or even less per session.

We allowed our driver to drop us from his branded vehicle and walked up the street until we stopped at a house where we saw some young girls. I was quoted $2 for short time while my pot bellied friend was told he would part with $5! After a brief chat with the girls we offer to pay them $2 to inspect their lodgings so that if they meet our expectations we could come back later since we were in a rush.A� Security is taken seriously here.A� There are three guard dogs and one of the girls puts two of them on their leashes and ushers us into a back room.

There is no power here.A� We just wonder how much they pay the landlord, and several others along the busy street.A� A small torch does the trick.A� The doorless room is divided into four sections using curtains secured by wires fastened to opposite ends of the wall by nails. Even though I have made it clear that we will just inspect and come back later, the young lady says we are wasting time as we could have been done by now if it were not for the endless talking.A� She flashes the light on her goodies to tempt her client.

I sense that these women are seeking an opportunity to go through onea��s pockets. An improvised mattress on the rough floor, some lotion, mirror, condoms and a small bag could be seen by the corner of a�?her rooma��. A�A�I learnt through our chat that the lady was from Binga.A� Interestingly, she guessed that we were not local and that we were from Bulawayo.

We left our hosts very curious, moreso because a third guy just stood by the entrance while two of us made inquiries from the ladies.A� Having paid the $2 for the tour, we were seen off. Our Binga friend, whether out of curiosity, or to make sure we did not stray into her competitorsa�� path, accompanied us for some distance until our transport was in view.A� Known as the worlda��s oldest profession, prostitution does not seem to be receding.A� When you ask some of the ladies, if they would consider leaving the trade, they ask you what they would then do.A� However, NAC has found ways of working closely with the sex workers and offering HIV and Aids education, testing services and enlisting some of them as peer educators.

The area is justifiably a key focus area as the province is a hotspot for HIV and Aids with the highest prevalence of HIV at 21%. This is partly attributed to the busy border town, a largely mobile population and mining activities in the province.
Figures released earlier this year put Matabeleland North second on prevalence with 17,6 %, Mashonaland East (15,2%), Midlands (15%), Bulawayo (14, 3%), Mashonaland West (13,2%),A� Masvingo (12,9%), Harare (12,8%) and Mashonaland Central with the lowest prevalence at 11,9%.

What was apparent during the tour of Beitbridge, however, was that while prostitution might be increasing, there is also increased awareness on the dangers of HIV and Aids with all the prostitutes spoken to having been armed with male condoms.A� Ending Aids as a public emergency by 2030 remains our goal and the more high risk populations know their status and protect themselves and others from infection, the greater our chances of attaining that goal. .