Oshikango red light district dims

IN THE wake of the global Covid-19 pandemic, sex workers at the northern border town of Oshikango – who depend mostly on patrons making their way through the border, are struggling to survive.

Many have been confined to their lodgings, leaving them wondering where their next meal will come from.

Sex workers have also been struggling to cope with mental health issues and physical well-being.

Their usual clientele – mostly cross-border traders and long-distance haulage truck drivers in transit to other destinations – have been few and far in between.

Thirty-year-old Anna Shikongo (not her real name), a sex worker based at the northern border town is among those hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic which resulted in a decline in economic activities.

She and many others are experiencing economic hardships and seeking alternatives for survival.

“We can no longer provide our services because most of the accommodation establishments and alcohol outlets are closed and truck drivers, who are the majority of our clientele, have become scarce these days.

“Everyone is afraid to contract Covid-19 and people are no longer moving around as freely as they used to. Our business is now down because everyone is suffering economic hardships, it is really bad,” she said.

Shikongo, who has been a sex worker for about 10 years, added that having no income is starting to put a strain on her mental health as she sometimes suffers anxiety.

“I’m a mother of two and my children are suffering because I cannot support them financially and now that I do not have any means of survival. We sometimes go to bed on an empty stomach. The little that I used to earn as a sex worker meant a lot to me and my children, even though they do not know the kind of work that I did.

“When all was good, I would go out to work and feed my children. I have survived on sex work for many years now, and I honestly wish things could go back to normal within a blink of an eye,” said Shikongo.

Ndapewa Matheus, another sex worker living at Okatwitwi informal settlement at Oshikango told The Namibian that with the uncertainty of when life would be back to normal, she fears for the worst.

“I hardly sleep at night, thinking about my life and where to get food for the next day. Sex work was our livelihood and we depended on it. Everything has come to a standstill. It has also become hard to approach truck drivers or just anyone because we fear for our safety and our health as well. No one wants to get near you because they fear contracting the coronavirus.

“Some of us are HIV positive and we are supposed to take anti-retroviral drugs every day after food but now that we are finding it hard to survive, we sometimes skip our medication because you cannot take medication on an empty stomach. We wish coronavirus could end now,” he said.

The sex workers appealed for assistance with food parcels from the government as many are battling to make ends meet.

The mayor of Helao Nafidi, Elias Nghipangelwa said the number of sex workers at the northern border town has declined over the years due to a sharp decline in economic activities.

“Most sex workers depended heavily on truck drivers passing through Oshikango, however, due to a decline in cross border trade, the number of sex workers also went down and I think many of them have changed their ways of conducting their business.

“As much as we do not like to talk about them, we cannot shy away from the fact that we do have them here. They are here and we need to regard them as our own people. We need to stop the stigma against them and accept them,” he said.

Nghipangwelwa further added that the town council has so far distributed food parcels donated by local business people to about 180 needy residents.

Another consignment of food parcels donated by the government is expected to be delivered at Oshikango this week.

*Not their real names.

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