N$20 sex at Oshikango

KENYA KAMBOWE



The difficult economic circumstances in Namibia and Angola have turned Oshikango into a cesspool of cheap commercial sex as people either try to make ends meet or to escape the torrid reality of their financial position.

During an investigation at Oshikango last weekend, Namibian Sun learned that sex workers at the border town have resorted to negotiating with customers who are unwilling to pay more than N$20 for a ‘quickie’ and N$150 for a full night’s service.

This translates to sex in public, in the bush, or at the customer’s home. Well-off customers pay more and organise a room, but the women say this is becoming more infrequent.

The desperation of negotiating with clients and being paid ten times less than what they used to earn is debilitating, they say.

“What can we do? We need to put food on the table to survive,” one woman told Namibian Sun.

While interviewing local people about sex workers and their operations, a security guard pointed at a woman on the other side of the street, walking towards a shop with her hands in her pockets.

“You see that one walking over there, she is one of them but unfortunately she is pregnant now,” the security guard said.

When approached, Sasha (not her real name), a Nama/Damara-speaking woman in her late twenties who speaks fluent Afrikaans, initially denied being pregnant but later opened up about prostitution in Oshikango. She said many sex workers had moved to other northern towns.

“What do you expect? People must survive. You know that there is no more business in Oshikango and the Angolans who used to be good clients have gone and those that are still roaming around don’t have money. Rent must be paid and we need to eat,” Sasha said.

At around 20:00, this reporter could not spot a single sex worker along the Oshikango main road, where people interviewed during the day said they could be seen.

“You won’t see them now as it’s still early, they are probably preparing themselves to attract you guys, just wait a bit,” Sasha said with a smile.

It was only around 21:00 when a woman suddenly appeared next to the road, dressed to the nines, looking in both directions. Minutes later she was standing next to a bakkie into which she hopped after a brief conversation.

“You see, there she goes and that’s how it’s done here,” Sasha said.

When asked about the fees, Sasha said it’s up to the client how much he is willing to spend, as sex workers do not have a fixed price due to the current economic crunch.

Sasha explained that the Angolan economic collapse was disastrous for Oshikango’s sex workers, as Namibian men refuse to pay large amounts for sex.

“Business is no longer good here, with no more American dollars and no more trucks we are doing anything to survive,” Sasha said as she walked away with her daily bread in a plastic bag.

As time passed, more sex workers appeared in the dark.

Approached for comment, most of the sex workers said they had come to Oshikango in search of jobs but now had to make a living from sex. Even at current low prices, the income is better than nothing, they said.

Prostitution in Namibia is still illegal.

According to the Ohangwena police spokesperson, Sergeant Abner Itumba, it is not easy for the police to arrest sex workers, as they do not carry around signs indicating that they are prostitutes.

Itumba said the police could only apprehend sex workers if they received tip-offs from community members.

“We do patrols; the problem is that those people don’t have signs, they might be there but the police will not be able to identify them if the community members do not come out and tell us these things,” Itumba said.