Times Of Swaziland: DRIVER’S LICENCES, JOBS FOR SEX WORKERS

DRIVER’S LICENCES, JOBS FOR SEX WORKERS
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  BY KWANELE SIBIYA  on 14/08/2019 00:51:00


MANZINI – Eswatini drink-driving offenders should gear themselves up for a new
era that will rectify their plight.
This is because the offenders would soon be ferried home by would-be
rehabilitated sex workers after taking one too many.
The sex workers would be offered the aforementioned task as part of a
rehabilitative three-phase programme that will be initiated by Vision 2022
Ministries Eswatini in a verge to bring new hope to them (sex workers).
This was relayed by Vision 2022 Ministries Eswatini (a non-governmental
organisation) Executive Director Themba Magagula yesterday.
This publication recently reported that poverty and sex work were intertwined in
real battles of life at every street corner in Manzini.
Unconfirmed reports are to the effect that Manzini has the highest number of sex
workers plying their trade within the city.
Expenses
Interviewed sex workers, when asked why they opted for this trade, said they
were attending one of the tertiary institutions in the country and could not
cope with the expenses of commuting to campus, renting and being presentable.
One of them said she was not sponsored and as a result she needed to earn money
in order to survive.
This publication reported last year that sex workers were now infiltrating the
rural areas. Buhleni was singled out as one of the areas where sex workers were
plying their trade.
Given the fact that it is hard to find an area in the city which the sex
industry, has not infiltrated, Magagula, who also referred to himself as ‘Bra
SSS’, has deemed it befitting through his organisation to step into the fore
to remedy the sex workers’ plight by offering employment opportunities to them
through the three-phase rehabilitative programme.
The programme, according to Magagula, would not only present job opportunities
to the sex workers, but it would also play a pivotal role in rehabilitating them
to become conscientious citizens of the country.
According to Magagula, all that is required from the sex workers to take part in
the programme, whose intention is to transform their lives, is a registration
fee amounting to E100.
Magagula further elaborated that phase one of the rehabilitative programme would
comprise driving tutorials for the sex workers.
“The applicants would take driving lessons at a designated driving school, so
as to secure a valid driver’s licence,” he said.
This, he said would equip them for phase two of the programme, which would be to
ferry those who were not eligible to sit behind the steering wheel after taking
one too many from bars across the country to their respective destinations.
He mentioned that for a start, the ladies of the night would be servicing
alcohol imbibers from Manzini to Mbabane at a fee which would generate income
for them in the process.
He said the sex workers would transport the imbibers in their own cars and he
would have a vehicle that would then pick up the sex workers.
Magagula hinted that this programme won’t be complicated for the sex workers
because they were familiar with the chore of interacting with strangers during
odd hours.
He mentioned that the programme would be beneficial to the country at large in
that road accidents would be minimised.
Magagula also highlighted that he was of the view that the tourism sector would
also be rejuvenated through this programme, given the fact that the rate of road
accidents in the country would greatly decrease, hence attracting many tourists
into the country.
He also divulged that the programme would help minimise the crime rate in the
country as few people would be nabbed for drink-driving.
Magagula cited that some of the sex workers would be employed as kombi and truck
drivers during the course of the programme.
Counselling
He disclosed that phase three of the programme would entail counselling
sessions, which would be ongoing while the sex workers would be executing the
aforementioned tasks.
“The main aim of the programme is not only to provide job opportunities to the
sex workers but to transform them to become sensible citizens who would settle
down and get married to one steady partner after graduating from the
programme,” said Magagula.
When asked what motivated him to initiate such a programme within the
organisation, he said it was his sorrowful upbringing as he claimed that he grew
up as a street kid.
“I used to eat from dustbins during the colonial era in Mbabane as I had no
one to fend for me. As a result, I know the agony that comes with being
unemployed, hence my passion to assist the sex workers,” he explained.
When probed about the possibility of the programme’s activities enticing   the
sex workers to be more involved in their old habit instead of refraining from
it, as they would be exposed to male clients at awkward spaces during odd hours
who would be intoxicated to make matters worse, he refuted the possibility.
He cited that the main intention of the programme was to rehabilitate the sex
workers.
As a result, during the course of the programme, they would be equipped with
transformational materials that would make it impossible for them to consider
going back to their old ways.
Magagula urged all sex workers across the country and all those who might happen
to know one to encourage them to contact their offices at 7661 9242 or visit
their offices at Manzini Heights Building for registration.
He assured all interested candidates that their identity would be strictly
confidential.
Magagula said their salaries would be performance based.