Connie Mathe never considered herself a sex worker until a new friend pointed it out. She was 19, a single mother of two struggling to make ends meet, and dating a married man who rented an apartment for her in an affluent Cape Town suburb.
The friend, a sex worker herself, told Connie: “That’s not a boyfriend, that’s sex work. He only comes to have sex with you, bring you food, and pay the rent.”
Connie tells DW she had tried working in retail, hospitality, and in a call center, but it was never enough to cover her bills.
She believed working as a sex worker full-time would mean that she was no longer dependent on her boyfriend; it promised greater financial security and autonomy.
Connie describes the work as dangerous, marked by constant police harassment and weekly raids. Years later, she was eventually arrested for operating a brothel. During the arrest, she says officers forced her to strip and sexually assaulted her.
Upon her release, Connie says she found her savings had been stolen. She blames the police, but has no way of proving it.
The arrest eventually brought her to the Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT), South Africa’s leading sex workers’ rights organization.
Connie is now a national coordinator at the Asijiki Coalition, which advocates for the decriminalization of sex work in
Why decriminalize?
Though the purchasing and selling of sex is illegal in South Africa, SWEAT believes there are 150,000 sex workers in the country. SWEAT representative Megan Lessing told DW this is based on a 2013 study, which also estimated that 90% of sex workers were women. But Lessing believes that number to be closer to 80% today.
Importantly, sex work refers only to the consensual provision of sexual services between adults for money, goods, or favors, according to the Global Network of Sex Work Projects.
Proponents for decriminalizing sex work point to people like Connie. They argue “sex work is work” — the industry is not inherently dangerous, but the criminalization and stigmatization of sex work make it so. Proponents also say decriminalization will reduce trafficking.
In 2021, South African researchers said about 70% of sex workers in South Africa experienced physical violence. Nearly 60% had been raped, with one in seven had been raped by policemen. The study found these violent crimes are rarely reported for fear of arrest, or harassment.
Stigmatizing sex workers has led to them being disproportionately affected by While South Africa has made in fighting the virus, the country still has the according to UNAIDS.
SWEAT says instances where police arrest sex workers for having condoms as “evidence of sex work” undermines South African policies.
Activists and health professionals say sex workers seeking medical help often face mockery and contempt.
The case against decriminalizing sex work
In early September 2025, a Western Cape High Court judge ruled that 16 NGOs could argue in the case. Fourteen are in favor of decriminalization. Two, including the Cause for Justice (CFJ), are against it, and the Western Cape High Court is bracing for a massive trial.
The CFJ stands for what it calls family values, and says the case is a matter of “fundamental human dignity.” The NGO refers to sex work as prostitution, which it says “constitutes the commodification of the human body, reducing people to commercial sex objects for the gratification of predatory individuals.”
The CFJ wants sex work to remain criminalized on the grounds that it is degrading towards women, promotes sex trafficking, leads to child prostitution, significantly increases the risk of transmitting and is a cause of public nuisance.
That sex work is inherently dehumanizing also appears in feminist debates, where it is viewed as an extreme form of and represents the complete exploitation of women’s bodies. Advocates for decriminalization, in contrast, say this view undermines their bodily autonomy.
Dual legal strategy
In 2022, the Department of Justice published the Decriminalization Bill, which would repeal laws that criminalize sex work, but the bill remains stalled in the parliamentary process due to proposed content expansions, opposition from critics, and shifts in government leadership. SWEAT representative Megan Lessing tells DW urgency and political will have faltered.
While SWEAT continues to push for the Decriminalization Bill, they are now pursuing what Lessing calls a “dual strategy” where it also protests the constitutionality of the laws targeting sex workers.
SWEAT’s legal team asserts that the criminalization of sex work is unconstitutional as it pertains to the right to freedom and security, right of access to justice, right of access to fair labor practices, and right to health care.
In a major triumph in August 2025, SWEAT was able to secure a national moratorium on the prosecution of sex workers until the trial begins.
A global issue
South Africa is not the only country grappling with the appropriate legislation for sex work. Globally, there are many models, and each one is contested.
In countries like Sweden, Norway, Canada, and Israel, the so-called Nordic Model is employed. Criminal penalties are removed for the sale of sex, but the purchasing of sex remains illegal.
In other countries, including the Netherlands, Peru, and Senegal, sex work is legalized, which means governments impose specific laws and regulations. This allows certain sex work under controlled conditions, and some countries require registration and mandatory health checks.
Decriminalization, meanwhile, is only fully in place in New Zealand and Belgium. This refers to the removal of all laws and regulations that penalize sex work between consenting adults. Sex work is treated as any other profession to reduce stigmatization, uphold bodily autonomy, and promote health and safety.
Decriminalization is the legal model most favored by global sex worker-led initiatives.
International organizations like the , , and the Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS have also advocated for the decriminalization of sex work.
‘Criminals for life’
Connie tells DW that exiting the sex industry is difficult, even if sex workers have further qualifications:
“Even though I have a diploma in legal studies, I’m afraid to ask for another job outside of SWEAT. If you have a criminal record in South Africa, no one will employ you. Even people who want to exit the industry can’t,” she said, adding a sex worker’s criminal record can only be expunged ten years after the latest arrest, effectively making many “criminals for life.”
Recently, Connie has been worried about the effects of in 2025 on sex workers’ health. When picking up the results of routine medical tests, Connie Mathe found the clinic she had done the tests at, the Ivan Toms Centre for Health in Cape Town, had closed.
The USAID-funded clinic was known for being discreet and LGBTQ+ friendly. According to Connie, it was one of the few places where sex workers received respectful and fair treatment.
After its closing, Connie and several other patients were sent to a local hospital, where she says they spent hours waiting for treatment and were told to consolidate their medical concerns as a group.
“We were not welcome in the public hospital,” Connie said, “They looked at us like we were demanding a special service.”
Crucial trial on the horizon
Connie remains hopeful the Western Cape High Court will rule in their favor when the case goes to trial in May 2026. This would pave the way for sex workers to access the same fundamental rights and services as everyone else.
SWEAT representative Megan Lessing acknowledges, “We know that decriminalization won’t fix everything. But it’s the first step toward addressing the broad spectrum of issues surrounding sex work.”
Edited by: Cai Nebe
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