Cape Town - It was misty, cold and dark and within five hours 19 sex workers were held. On Saturday night, the City of Cape Town’s Vice Squad conducted their weekly operations, arresting sex workers for illegal activities.
The Cape Argus accompanied the Vice Squad in Brooklyn, near Milnerton, on what was described as one of the “least busiest nights” as usually up to 60 women could be held or fined in that period.
A 26-year-old questioned had previously received a written warning and was told to go home.
She, however, did not heed the warning and went back to the streets. She then received her first fine of R500.
The woman, from Ezibeleni in Queenstown, was introduced to prostitution by her twin sister two weeks ago.
“She invited me to come to Cape Town and when I got here I then saw what was happening and I also had to join in.”
Members of the Vice Squad spoke to her, offering to help her return to Queenstown. She refused, saying: “I am fine, I am planning to leave on Thursday”.
By 1am 16 women had been taken off the streets.
A 19-year-old woman from Mpumalanga said she was introduced to prostitution by her pimp, with whom she is “madly in love” after they met in Joburg four months ago.
He asked her to move to Cape Town with him and she now works every night, apart from Sundays, and brings in more than a R1 000 a night, which she gives to him.
She said she had more than three clients per night and at the time she was picked up by Vice Squad, had already had sexual encounters with six men.
Members of the Vice Squad also tried to plead with her, telling her of the dangers of the industry and offered to pay for her trip home , which she refused.
Nathan Ladegourdi, assistant chief of the Vice Squad, said the operation was aimed at trying to lessen the high prostitution rate in the city.
“We offer the girls a chance to get out of the industry and we also look out for human trafficking, hence the weekly operations. We also work with NGOs that offer counselling for girls that wish to leave the sex trade industry.”
Women who have been picked up the first time are usually given a written warning, but thereafter they are given a first fine of R500, a second fine of R1 500, a court appearance and then a warrant of arrest, which means they could serve up to a year in jail for prostitution.
Prostitution hotspots include Brooklyn, Macassar, Lansdowne, Wynberg, Bellville and Eersterivier.
Many of the women picked up are not from the Western Cape, with a 43-year-old from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Ladegourdie said it was common to see women from outside the Western Cape because most of them come from poorer places around the country and had grown up in disadvantaged homes.
Cape Argus