Sex workers shot in argument over payment

East London – A sex worker has been shot dead and two have been shot and injured during an apparent argument over payment.

The Daily Dispatch reported yesterday that police are hunting for the man believed to have shot the prostitutes in Quigney on Friday.

The man is believed to have given one of the women R50 for sex. One of the other women apparently objected to the payment and the other two women joined in the argument. The man allegedly pulled out a firearm and shot at them, according to the report.

One of the women died at the scene. Another was shot in the back and is being treated in ICU. The third woman sustained light injuries.

Last year, the Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce (Sweat) voiced concern that sex workers are treated as second-class citizens, as they are exposed to victimisation from both their clients and the police, Health24 reported. More than 30 sex workers were murdered in the space of a year, many of them strangled and mutilated.

A Bloemfontein sex worker told News24 in October that her clients have throttled, beaten, and abused her. She said poverty and unemployment made her resort to selling sex for R50. She and other sex workers are concerned about their clients victimising them, especially at night, when there is nobody to protect them. — Sapa