Girl (13) who turned sex worker rescued from thugs

The problem of child trafficking and abuse became more evident the past week when a 13-year-old girl had to be rescued from a group of men who wanted to rape her. It seems as if the girl had been operating as a sex worker in Thohoyandou but ended up having to fend for herself.

The girl apparently conducted her trade near the Game centre in Thohoyandou, which is a popular gathering spot for local sex workers. The incident happened last Thursday evening (15^th).

The security officers who rescued her took the girl to the Thohoyandou Police Station, but no case was opened. She said that the men who had attacked her had also threatened to kill her. The girl was taken to a trauma centre, where she is still recovering.

Mr Awelani Makongoza from Team Makongoza Disciplinary Camp said that he was approached earlier by the girl’s family to try and find her. When he heard about the attack, he rushed to Thohoyandou. He said that once the girl came out of the trauma centre, she would be taken to a centre for further counselling.

“The young woman’s situation is heartbreaking. She has two young boys who she works for, and they pay her R700 a month and they also rent a room for her in Thohoyandou to do the dirty deeds,” he added.

“The young woman’s story highlights the dire need for support and intervention. Parents who struggle with troublesome children should seek help from social workers or any other people who can help,” he said. 

Makongoza said that the girl had related her ordeal to him and said that on the night of the incident, she had been approached by a man pretending to be a customer. However, when they reached a secluded spot, two other men suddenly appeared and began pulling her away. She shouted, which attracted the attention of a local security guard. When the security officer arrived on the scene, the attackers fled.

Makongoza also disclosed some of the background that led to the girl’s finding herself working as a sex worker. The girl apparently started this trade because she wanted the money. She told him that she had been riding in a taxi one day when she had overheard the driver telling a passenger how much money the “ladies of the night” made.

That specific day the girl was (again) fleeing from home. She stole some money from her grandmother and she was afraid that she would get beaten when she returned. The girl previously sought shelter at the Tshilidzini Hospital, but because the family had found her there before, she decided to go to the Vhufuli Donald Fraser Hospital. It was on her way past Thohoyandou that the driver showed her where the sex workers operate from.

From what the girl told him, she got off in Thohoyandou and asked the women for advice. The women told her to get rid of the long trousers and wear shorts instead. Following this instruction, she returned home to change and began working as a prostitute. She told him that she earned around R300 a day through prostitution.

While the girl worked as a sex worker, she mostly stayed with her pensioner grandparents and an older sister in one of the villages near Thohoyandou.

According to information made available to the newspaper, the young girl was raped when she was only 11 years old.

Date:23 August 2024

By: Maanda Bele

Maanda  Bele, born and raised in Nzhelele Siloam, studied journalism at the Tshwane University of Technology.

He is passionate about current news and international affairs.

He worked as part of the Zoutnet team as an intern in 2017.

He is currently a freelance journalist specialising in news from the Vhembe district.

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