Zim prostitutes fight pitched battles with Zambians

Zim prostitutes fight pitched battles with Zambians

ZAMBIAN prostitutes are reported to have driven away their Zimbabwean rivals from major tourist attraction spots and nightclubs in Livingstone

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By Ruth Banda

ZIMBABWEAN prostitutes are engaged in pitched battles with their Zambian counterparts in the border town of Livingstone, council officials said.

Livingstone town clerk George Kalenga revealed during a council meeting that a wrangle had erupted between Zambian and Zimbabwean commercial sex workers who have sought greener pastures in Livingstone, a favourite tourist spot.

In response to a question from Livingstone councillor Harrington during the councillors' capacity building workshop at Wasawange Lodge, Kalenga said there was a wrangle because Zimbabwean sex workers offered lower rates than their Zambian counterparts.

Harrington wanted to know why the HIV/AIDS rate remained high in Livingstone despite having a lot of non-governmental organisations working to fight the disease.

"A wrangle has broken out in Livingstone between Zambian commercial sex workers and Zimbabwean commercial sex workers who are now crossing over into Livingstone and offering lower rates," Kalenga said. "Our local commercial sex workers have mobilised themselves and are chasing away the international sex workers to compounds and suburbs, while they hold authority in town."

Without revealing his sources, Kalenga said the Zambian commercial sex workers have complained that men preferred Zimbabwean sex workers who offered lower rates.

He said most of the Zimbabwean sex commercial workers crossed into Zambia as marketeers and their influx has continued despite Livingstone City Council charging them K10,000 as a deterrent.

And Livingstone district AIDS task force chairperson Michael Biemba said Livingstone's geographical position also contributed to the high rate of HIV/AIDS.

Biemba said the city is close to Victoria Falls town in Zimbabwe which has a 55 per cent rate of HIV/AIDS, adding that Kasane in Botswana and Katima Mulio in Namibia which were only a few hours away, also have a high rate of HIV/AIDS.
From the Zambian Post
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