Sex workers offer Justice Department help
Sex workers and activists are calling for urgency reviving a bill to decriminalise sex work bill, which is currently being drafted for the second time.
On Monday 2 June, members of Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT) and the Asijiki Coalition set up desks and chairs outside the offices of the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Cape Town. The mock 'help desk' was meant to represent sex workers and the DOJ drafting the bill together, with the seat reserved for the DOJ left empty. A large sign at the desk read: 'Sex workers are here to help you to redraft the bill.'
'Maybe they will come down and draft the bill with us,' said Lloyd Rugara, provincial coordinator for the Sisonke National Sex Work Movement.
It's been two years since the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Bill of 2022 was withdrawn and sent back to be revised. In May 2023 state law advisors raised concerns about the bill's lack of regulation, according to former deputy minister John Jeffery. The new deputy minister Andries Nel has since taken office.
Sex worker organisations have demanded a clear timeframe for the bill's implementation, consultations with sex workers, and the prioritisation of the 'long-delayed reform'.
Constance Mathe, national coordinator at Asijiki, said that since funding cuts from USAID caused sex worker-friendly clinics to close down, sex workers have struggled to access health services at public facilities. They face stigma and long waiting hours at clinics and hospitals, she says.
Mathe says that the decriminalisation bill would mean sex workers would be recognised under labour laws and would have safer working conditions.
Mathe also raises concerns over the lack of consultation with sex workers during the second drafting of the bill and says that the drafting process was taking too long. 'No redrafting can take two years,' says Mathe.
DOJ official Ashika Singh came outside to meet the activists. She said the DOJ would give them a response within three weeks.
This article first appeared on GroundUp. Read the original article here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The South African
3 hours ago
- The South African
DNA results confirm the murder of Pretoria journalist
The South African Police Service has confirmed that the remains found in Rust De Winter last month, are of journalist, Aserie Ndlovu and his partner. Ndlovu and his girlfriend went missing on 18 February 2025. The bodies analysed for DNA were discovered by SAPS on 8 May 2025. 'The SAPS can now confirm that a DNA analysis has been concluded and has positively linked the remains to that of Aserie Ndlovu and Zodwa Mdhluli', said national police spokesperson, Athlenda Mathe. Mathe said the remains found were analysed and matched against samples taken from biological relatives of both Ndlovu and Mdhluli. SAPS has notified both families of the positive DNA match. The families have also been told that the results confirm that the remains found are of the missing couple. Mathe said the police were pleased to assist both families in finding closure. While the families come to terms with this new development, the case of the suspected killers of Ndlovu and Mdhluli continues before the KwaMhlanga Magistrate's Court. Seven suspects were arrested on 4 May 2025, over two months since the couple had been missing. The seven were charged with kidnapping, house robbery and possession of stolen property. Last month, a cross province operation involving Gauteng and Mpumalanga police led SAPS to the seven suspects. They were questioned and subsequently arrested. 'The first suspect who is arrested, is according to investigations, the last to be in the company of the missing couple', said Mathe. 'The second, third and fourth suspects that have been arrested were found with different vehicle parts believed to be that of the missing journalist', she continued. Police Commissioner, General Fannie Masemola has previously attributed the police successfully apprehending the suspects, to public participation. 'The social media community must also be appreciated for sharing the pictures of these suspects far and wide. Together, we can do more with the cooperation of communities in fighting crime and apprehending dangerous criminals ', said Masemola. DO YOU BELIEVE THAT SOCIAL MEDIA PLAYS A ROLE IN SOLVING CRIME? Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
18 hours ago
- IOL News
Police probe more cases against syndicate that targeted Wits student Olorato Mongale
Olorato Mongale's mother Basetsana speaks during her funeral on Sunday. Image: Free State Provincial Government/Facebook Police have reported an increase in the number of cases that they are linked to the syndicate responsible for the death of the former Wits University student, Olorato Mongale - three more have been added to the 22 reported last week. Last week, the number of cases being investigated by the police stood at 22 cases with SAPS spokesperson, Brigadier Athlenda Mathe indicating that the number has increased to 25. "We are now standing at 25 cases linked to the syndicate," Mathe said without going into details about the latest developments in the matter. Police said they are closing in on Bongani Mthimkulu, the remaining suspect of an alleged kidnapping syndicate that targeted young women at shopping malls in several provinces. The main suspect, Philangenkosi Makhanya, was killed during a shootout with police at Amanzimtoti in KwaZulu-Natal last week. 'That is the only syndicate that we had identified that was going around the country targeting woman in various malls in various provinces. We are counting Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu- Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga as well as North West,' said Mathe. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Meanwhile, as the manhunt for Mthimkhulu continues, the spokesperson for the Mongale family, Dr Criselda Kananda and the entire Mongale family confirmed in a statement that the family has withdrawn its support for Fezile Ngubane - one of the recently cleared suspects. Police arrested Ngubane but later said he was targeted by the syndicate and was an innocent victim of identity fraud. In a statement issued on Tuesday, Kananda announced her withdrawal from supporting Ngubane's addiction rehabilitation journey after having supported the campaign aimed at helping him overcome his drug addiction. 'I would like to take a moment to express my appreciation for the outpouring of support regarding the call to help Fezile Ngubane with his rehabilitation. Our initial intention was to assist in placing Fezile at a free rehabilitation centre, as we believe that simply throwing money at someone struggling with addiction is not a sustainable solution. "However, with the introduction of monetary donations into this situation, I have decided to withdraw my engagement in Fezile's case. I believe it is best to those who have taken a different approach to carry on from here," she said.
Eyewitness News
a day ago
- Eyewitness News
Children's homes, rehabs and shelters face closure once again as Gauteng govt fails to pay
Two months into the financial year, which started in April, hundreds of non-profit organisations in Gauteng have not yet received their subsidies from the provincial Department of Social Development. 'These organisations include domestic violence shelters, child and youth care centres, inpatient substance abuse treatment facilities, and residential facilities for persons with disabilities,' the Gauteng Care Crisis Committee said in a statement on Friday. Organisations GroundUp spoke to say they only have enough reserve funds to last them two or three months before they will have to shut down. This echoes similar chaos last year, when organisations funded by the Gauteng Department of Social Development went unfunded for months. Many had to go into debt, from which they have not yet recovered. Premier Panyaza Lesufi intervened last year and a new MEC, Faith Mazibuko, has since taken the helm. But despite promises to restore the department's relationship with the organisations, problems with service agreements and late payments have not been curbed. At least 40 of the crisis committee's 114 member organisations have not been paid and 14 are still waiting for service level agreements (SLAs). According to a statement by the department on Monday, of the 1,640 SLAs issued to organisations, 1,424 have been signed and 818 payments have been made. That leaves more than 600 payments outstanding. And this excludes organisations who have not yet received SLAs, says committee chair Lisa Vetten. Department spokesperson Motsamai Motlhaolwa told GroundUp that late payments were due to challenges with the payment system. He also said some organisations had not signed the SLAs in time, and others were 'non-compliant' with municipalities and in some cases with the Children's Act. CHILDREN'S HOMES FACE CLOSURE Jacaranda Kinderhuis and Louis Botha Children's Home are two of the largest Child and Youth Care Centres in Gauteng and house more than 250 children. Neither centre has received an SLA for the new financial year, says Charlene Grobbelaar, CEO for both Louis Botha and Jacaranda. The subsidies received from the department usually cover 40% of their expenses. The SLA delays are apparently because the department said it requires a J738 form from the Department of Justice (DOJ) to show that no staff members are on the sex offender registry. The department initially accepted proof that the centres had applied for the form from the DOJ on 13 March. But since the start of May, they have received no update from the department. Without funding from the department, both homes are now running on reserve funds, which are quickly running dry. If the funding does not come through soon, the homes can only keep going for 'maximum a month', says Grobbelaar. Operations at both centres have been pared down, reserving the little funds available for food and salaries. Field trips and extracurricular activities have been cancelled. The centres have recently taken in children from small nearby centres that have closed their doors due to funding cuts. 'It's ridiculous, these are children's lives,' said Grobbelaar. Paul Kruger Kinderhuis in Gauteng with room for 63 children, which the department has funded for decades, received verbal indication from the adjudication panel that it would be funded but has not received anything in writing, despite repeated follow-ups. Manager Kobus Vorster said they have enough funds for another two months. Mothaolwa told GroundUp that all funded youth centres that have not received SLAs 'have been appraised on the reasons for the delays'. 'We would also like to bring to your attention that all the [organisations] that have worked with [the department] know our teams at regional offices … We are not sure why they asking us through the media, where we wont even give out information about them, because we respect the working relationship we have with them.' PAST UNDERSPENDING GroundUp previously reported that last year's funding crisis led several organisations to take the department to court over non-payments. Some have still not been paid despite having signed SLAs for the 2024/25 financial year and are still busy fighting for their money in court. The department has said that the reason it could not pay all NPOs was that it had run out of money and overcommitted its budget. GroundUp previously reported that organisations were dissatisfied with this answer. And on Monday, News24 reported that the department will have to return R102-million to the national treasury due to underspending in the 2024/25 financial year. Mothaolwa has previously said that underspending is mainly due to 'compliance' issues. This article first appeared on GroundUp. Read the original article here.
