By Anna Shilongo
WINDHOEK
It’s no longer business as usual for sex workers following the mysterious murder of an unidentified woman whose body was cut into pieces and placed along the road between Windhoek/Okahandja.
Fear has gripped the sex workers who previously used a spot along this highway to Okahandja as a pick up-point by clients, mainly truck drivers.
Some sex workers have expressed outrage and fear about the murder of the woman. One sex worker said things were no longer the same following the murder.
“People think you are trash, pointing fingers at you without thinking why you are standing at the bridge,” she said without revealing her identity.
Another said the sex trade was a risky job as one never gets to know who one is dealing with.
“I am so afraid about what happened to that woman. It’s terrible. It’s a risk to climb into any stranger’s car,” added another whp has now resorted to doing business at a relatively safe spot in the city centre.
The tables have turned for sex workers. Before, they used to endure constant harassment and arrests by the police. But now, even the police are using them to get information that could be used to trace the elusive murderer.
“The police are now here with us 24 hours because they want information from us,” said a middle-aged woman who still moonlights as a commercial sex worker despite her age.
As a safety precaution against becoming another victim, the prostitutes have decided to take down the registration number of a car that picks up one of them.
That way, they hope to determine who goes missing and report such cases to the police.
The fear of death is high in the minds of most of these women. They say they are at times dumped at places some 15 to 20 kilometres away from where they are picked up.
The numbers of sex workers have noticeably diminished at places where they used to congregate. Only a few of them still remain.
” Don’t think that I am being brave when you see me standing here. It’s because of poverty. I am sure if I had a proper job I wouldn’t sit here selling my body. It’s poverty,” explained a young woman dressed in a mini-skirt.
Asked if some of their colleagues were missing, they said it was difficult to say because not all of them came back to the same spot. The number of ‘customers’ too has decreased, said one.
” I guess people are scared to be linked to the serial killer,” said another.