City Press reports that the Eastern Cape government is embarking on a process that could see sex work being decriminalised in the province.  

Eastern Cape department of social development spokesperson Gcobani Maswana confirmed that the department was undergoing a consultation process with the aim of decriminalising sex work.  He said this was one of the ways to protect sex workers, who worked under dangerous and risky conditions as a result of the industry not being regulated.  Maswana pointed out that sex workers were prone to abuse from clients who took advantage of their vulnerability and that the issue of decriminalising sex work had come to the fore very strongly in a stakeholder engagement recently held.  Maswana explained further:  “We were warned as the department of social development to really look at the space in which sex workers operate because this is where drugs are used, where human trafficking is rife and where most of the crime emanates from.  If sex workers come with strong views that sex work should be decriminalised, the department has no problem and will support that.  But the process is still in its initial stages and there are lots of discussions yet to take place.”

• Read the full original of the above report by Lubabalo Ngcukana at City Press

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