Sex wokers threaten marriages of the high profile

By Pelekelo Liswaniso

WIVES married to some prominent and educated men are allegedly losing their husbands to commercial sex workers who provide them with explosive romantic sexual pleasures they miss in their matrimonial homes. A lot of marriages were now on the rocks because of sex workers. This is, however, a recipe for HIV/AIDS.

The threat is said to be more pronounced in Eastern province where about 400 commercial sex workers in Katete and the surrounding districts have partners from some of the affluent sections of the community.

A United Nations Volunteer, (UNV) Ms Maximina Mwale, who is engaged in HIV/AIDS co-ordination activities in the area, said the affected commercial sex workers told her that they usually have sex with some of the married men between 17.30 hours and 19.00 hours on a daily basis.

“ Some of these high profile men even forget their degrees when they are with the sex workers and just enjoy themseleves,” Ms Mwale said with a smile.
She said the affected married men complain that they are not given the romance they expect from their wives at home.

“Usually, it’s the maids who provide them with food when they get home. They are not greeted and do not get the attention they want. This forces them to have affairs with commercial sex workers,” she said. Ms Mwale works in the office of the District Commissioner (DC).

“These commercial sex workers also have what they call "Ba Pema" (Permanent partners) who they meet frequently. The men are either bored with their love life at home or their wives are just too engrossed with kitchen parties, church business and the like.

“Some of the men complained that their wives attend to too many kitchen parties or go to too many church functions and when the women get home, they are usually tired or drunk and fail to perform the romance the men want.

“Men are like children… you know, they like to be pampered,”she added.
In addition to "Ba Pemas", the sex workers sometimes have sex with six partners in a night.
“When the ‘Pema’ is around, booked in a room, its difficult for a one- night stand customer to be serviced. They only become available at such a time when the ‘Pema' has completely left for home.

Ms Mwale explained that the commercial sex workers were “helpers” or comforters” and have taken advantage of the situation the men find themselves in and lavishly provide them with abundant sexual pleasures. A total of 390 commercial sex workers were recorded in Katete by a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), engaged in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

“The danger is that in the process, some of them might decide not to use a condom, when the men agree to pay more, and obviously the consequences are that HIV will be transmitted in one way or the other,”she warned.

Ms Mwale who was in Lusaka attending the National Aids Council (NAC) Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Technical Working Group national workshop at Mulungushi International Conference Center warned wives in other parts of the country not to take their romantic lives with their husbands for granted.

“Do not be surprised if you lose your husband to a maid or a sex worker. These men want attention, love and sex and you better provide it or else they will go elsewhere,” she warned.
“Sex does not care whether you are a prominent person or not. These commercial sex workers have these men wearing suits and driving posh cars as their clients. Why? The simple reason is that they are bored at home and they want excitement elsewhere,”

They prefer to be with the sex workers soon after work and before 19.00 hours news so that they are not suspected of being mischievous.

Ms Mwale is in the process of arranging workshops in Katete to talk to married women about their conjugal obligations. “They need refresher courses,” she added.