Cape Town - It was misty, cold and dark and within five hours 19 sex workers were held. She, however, did not heed the warning and went back to the streets. She then received her first fine of R The woman, from Ezibeleni in Queenstown, was introduced to prostitution by her twin sister two weeks ago. Members of the Vice Squad spoke to her, offering to help her return to Queenstown. 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 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 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 R, a second fine of R1 , a court appearance and then a warrant of arrest, which means they could serve up to a year in jail for prostitution.
Many of the women picked up are not from the Western Cape, with a 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. Healthy man dies weeks after being licked by his dog. Duchess Meghan's oversized shoes listed as one of this decade's biggest fashion fails.
LOOK: Durban shop owner arrested for manufacturing fake detergents. Dad's shock at seeing son's body washed up on rocks in Three Anchor Bay. Related Tags Crime and Courts. Read next on IOL. Most Read on IOL.
