About 200 sex workers gathered at the East London International Centre on Thursday for a dialogue with Deputy Minister for Social Development Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu about government’sBogopane-Zulu encouraged all sex workers to read the The Criminal Law Amendment Bill of 2022, which would decriminalise “the sale and purchase of adult sexual services”.Sex workers told the minister that criminalisation has left them open to abuse by police. They said police rape, rob and harass them.
Another sex worker, who identified herself as Linda, told the minister she has been raped several times by police officers after being arrested. A sex worker, who identified herself as Thuli, said they are not only victimised by police but also by some clients and members of the community. Katlego Rasebitse, national organiser for Sisonke National Sex Workers Movement, said police should be focussed on serious crimes not the soft target of sex work.Bogopane-Zulu said the department will also be lobbying for the expunging of criminal records for sex work.
On Friday, Minister of Justice and Correctional Services Ronald Lamola announced the release of the Criminal Law