tell MPs
Gustav Thiel
CAPE TOWN’s sex workers say there is at least one good reason to keep Parliament in the “mother city”: if it moves, they will lose some of their best customers.
Though it is not clear such concerns will play a key role in determining Parliament’s future home, a brief probe by the Mail & Guardian found a number of high-class prostitutes proud to count politicians among their clientele, and worried about losing them.
Business has boomed since the advent three years ago of South Africa’s first democratic assembly, and it now involves MPs from across the political spectrum.
“Make no mistake – and I know this for a fact because I have been with some of these men who say they run the country – politicians keep the sex business going because they have the money to pay,” says 21-year-old Tammy.
The M&G’s findings suggest it is not only poor people who turn to sex for entertainment, as Health Minister Nkosazana Zuma recently explained as one reason why HIV infection is surging.
“One gentleman told me he works in Parliament and that he needs to relax after hours,” says 25-year-old Annemarie, who changed her name to Natasha when she moved to Cape Town from Pretoria. “I provided him with what he needed.”
The business, however, is noted for its discretion and no MP is named. But some of them are clearly among the higher profile. Annemarie has “done it with people I recognise from the newspapers”.
The services on offer include “a good spyker [fuck], maybe a blow job or two, but not anal”. She adds that other “more experienced girls will offer anal sex and even certain forms of discipline” – her term for bondage. Payment due: a minimum of R450 an hour, tips not included.
There are about 200 escort agencies officially operating in Cape Town, and those within walking distance of the corridors of power include Body Heat, Cachet, IN-X-ES, Smells like Sex, and Paradise.
The agencies say their services “only include providing pleasant company”, as Lynne, the owner of Justine’s – one of the biggest of the city’s agencies – puts it. The women employed to discharge such pleasantries paint a different picture. “Anyone who believes we do not offer sex is living in a dream world,” Annemarie whispers.
Much of the “political” work, however, is done on a more private basis, with the women working from home and advertising their services.
Tammy, who works from her Sea Point flat, says if you know how to “read” the classified advertisements in local newspapers, “you can find any kind of sex you want”. Decoding ads is part of the thrill.
“Amy is back, back, back,” one ad beams. The experienced decoder knows Amy has not been on holiday – she is merely referring to her preferred position.