The sex worker in a developing town in a developing nation
Bhekumusa Moyo is a talented young Zimbabwean writer. Here are his reflections on the impact of HIV in the small border town of Beitbridge:
The sex worker in a developing town in a developing nation
Beitbridge is characterized by a hive of activity and business ranging from formal to informal, legal to illegal. Life is fast and the cost of living is double that of other towns like Harare and Bulawayo. One is either robbing or is being robbed. One is either bribing or is being bribed. One is either selling sex or someone is buying.
I have followed closely the life of Chido who has been in the sex industry for 23 years. She is being called by her first name even by young boys of her son’s age. Her life has been revolving around being fucked and sucking from sex hungry men. I met her at Kalahari Sports Bar. She is 39 though she looks younger because of skin peeling creams.
Narrating her ordeal, she quickly demanded beer as we talked. Like many young women who end up hooked into the evil net of the world’s oldest profession, she came into the business not by choice. She was on her way to South Africa. On her first quest to cross the border via the Vembe crossing spot which many border jumpers use, she met the horror of her life, which transformed her to what she is today. She was raped in exchange for favors to cross the river. None of the rapists managed to get her across the river until one Mpisi (a man who escorts border jumpers across the Limpopo River), took her to Baghdad Squatter Camp in Beitbridge. Baghdad was situated by the Beitbridge long distance bus terminus back then. It was destroyed during Muramatvsina invasions, as it was a breeding ground for all crime and ill activity.
The man introduced her to Mai Tinashe who was the aunt of the prostitutes in the area. That is how she came to surrender her life to the twin devices of sex and booze risking her life to HIV. Now she doesn’t even give a damn.
At 18, she had her first child with a Zambian truck driver. A year later the affair with the Zambian ended as he changed routes and all contact was lost. There was no one to support her. The option that was always there for her was the obvious. She continued putting herself at risk as a way of supporting her child.
She remains earning her income, reeling under different sizes of men and enduring the penetration of all sizes and shapes of shafts. Her life is surrendered to the grave. She speaks of her clients as fools. On the subject of HIV, she shows no remorse. Straight faced she told me to fuck off because anytime, anyone can die. She says death is death.
During our discussion, a couple of things came up. The subject of making prostitution a legal profession was top. This, she says, will make all players safe, the client and the service provider. She says that parents who do not love their children, ignoring them and exposing them to conditions that disturb their minds, cause moral decadence.
It was around midnight. She looked me in the eye and said “How about us tonight? $50 only. “ I said “no”. She insisted. I told her that I was only 23, two years older than her son and asked her what she thought of this. She said pussy is pussy, whether from a granny or schoolgirl and she accepts any stick that comes her way, for a price. I gave her $30 and we parted ways.
Beitbridge is at risk because of HIV. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) says that there are almost 8000 prostitutes in the border town. A lot needs to be done before the town is wiped out.
By Bhekumusa Moyo
Bhekumusa is a civic activist, a poet, researcher and freelance writer based in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe and can be contacted on bhekumusamoyo [at] gmail [dot] com