By Buziwe Nocuze
- A Cape Town mother became a sex worker after her husband’s death left her struggling to feed and educate four children.
- She earns up to R3,000 a week from sex work, on top of her retail salary, to cover family expenses.
When a Cape Town mother of four lost her husband in 2022, she also lost the family’s main source of income.
She works full-time at a retail store, but her salary wasn’t enough to cover rent, groceries and school transport for her children.
“After my husband died, I had to make difficult decisions. I have kids looking up to me. Everything is expensive,” she said.
To survive, she started a side hustle – sex work.
“No one wakes up deciding to be a prostitute. We do what we have to do to raise our kids,” she said.
She mostly works at night and on her days off, while a trusted friend looks after her children. She charges R400 for the whole night or R100 per round.
“Some people think R400 is too little, but if you’re too expensive, you don’t get clients,” she said.
She works safely from a friend’s empty house and belongs to groups where sex workers warn each other about dangerous clients.
“I always send pictures, numbers and my live location to a friend before I go anywhere,” she said.
On busy weeks, she earns more than R3,000 – money that helps cover rent, groceries, transport and school costs.
She insists on safe sex with every client. “No condom, no sex,” she said firmly.
Pictured above: A silhouette of a woman.
Image source: Pexels
