Johannesburg - The rising rates of violence perpetuated against women sex workers have led advocacy groups to ask the government the question of how long it will take for (legal and social) protection.
Sex workers in Johannesburg felt they were under siege and vulnerable to violence both from unknown perpetrators and the authorities.
Their cries come after the South African Police Service (SAPS) made the harrowing discovery of six decomposed bodies in a panel-beating workshop near the area of Faraday in Johannesburg last Sunday.
SAPS arrested 20-year-old Sifiso Mkhwanazi in connection with the deaths, who was at the workshop owned by his father.
Mkhwanani was charged with six counts of murder and will make his second appearance before the Joburg Magistrate’s Court on October 18.
Sex workers in the area said they were familiar with Mkhwananzi and his movements due to past cases where sex workers who interacted with him reported abuse, rape and harassment.
Gauteng provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Brenda Muridili confirmed that investigations are currently under way by the Provincial Murder and Robbery Unit.
“Our helpline got overwhelmed with phone calls from sex workers. Calls from sex workers in fear, with anxiety and we’re still receiving them up until now,” said Megan Leasing, advocacy and communications officer for Sex Workers Education & Advocacy Taskforce (Sweat).
She said the grisly discovery hit them at a fragile time, as they had continued to assist sex workers recovering from trauma from two separate cases involving the murders of sex workers in Johannesburg.
Leasing said they tried to get the police’s attention on three sex workers who had been reported missing as far back as July 2022. “I think that contributed to that overwhelming feeling of dread that the bodies that they discovered were almost certainly sex workers.
“Our advocacy is twenty-five years old. We’ve been trying to get sex work decriminalised in the country. We have tried to government understand for the longest time that there is a real sense of urgency in terms of the high level of violence that sex workers face,” Leasing said.
She explained that despite countless discussions, protests and data provided by advocacy groups for the government, the pace to decriminalise and protect sex workers is too slow to alleviate fears.
Sisonke’s advocacy officer Zinhle Tsholwana said the efforts by the government to decriminalise did not reflect the cabinet’s desire to create a safer environment for all South Africans.
“This could have been preventable if we’re being honest. Because we had asked the police, missing person cases were opened but nobody paid attention. We just weren’t listened to,” Tsholwana said.
Both Leasing and Tsholwana emphasised that the government’s reluctance to prioritise the safety and plight of sex workers in the same manner that they have with other bills exposed the perpetuated stereotypes against sex workers that result in further harassment and violence.
“Our organisation and other advocacy groups have gone to police stations for workshops on sensitising sex workers (women, men and transgender). We all have interacted with government numerous times and drafted a bill to decriminalise sex work. We also have to add that decriminalisation doesn’t only fall to the Department of Justice, but also to the Department of Social Development, the Department of Basic Education and the Department of Health.
“The conscious effort to educate and destigmatise is crucial for the protection. They are mothers, sisters, wives, and women worthy of being protected. But they know that before the week ends, there will most likely be another case of arbitrary violence reported,” Tsholwane said.
In 2017, the South African Law Reform Commission (SALRC) released a report recommending full or partial criminalisation of sex work. It argued that prostitution in the country could be viewed as an aspect of male violence perpetrated against women and children.
“Changing the legislative framework could create an extremely dangerous cultural shift juxtaposed with the high numbers of sexual crimes already committed against women. Women would be considered even more expendable than at present,” the report said.
Sweat published a report in 2020 that found that 101 female sex workers, some of them transwomen, died between 2018-2019. Of those deaths, 45% of the known causes of death were attributed to murder. This time period coincidentally ties in with the time period of Bheki Cele’s role as Minister of Police.
“There is no political will by government to actively move to protect the country’s sex workers. Criminalising sex workers leaves them in more danger and will only contribute to the murder rates,” Leasing said.