In commemoration of International Sex Worker Rights Day, sex workers and human
rights activists will once again take to the streets to protest the continued
abuse sex workers experience at the hands of the police, and the criminal
justice system’s failure to prosecute the perpetrators.

“Johannesburg is marching tomorrow, but the other four cities will be demonstrating on International Women’s Day, the 8th of March. This is because the majority of sex workers are women. And it’s time that their abuse was recognised as a form of gender-based violence”, said the Sex Workers’ Education and Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT) Advocacy Officer, Ntokozo Yingwana.

SWEAT is a human rights-based non-profit organisation that advocates for the recognition of sex workers’ rights as human rights.

These marches take place on the same day that the eight Daveyton South African Police Service (SAPS) officers will be appearing in court for the first time after being captured on camera dragging a handcuffed 27 year old taxi driver, Mido Macia, behind a police van for nearly 500 meters. Macia later died in police custody.

“As Sisonke we feel for the Macia family, and call on the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) to implement the law. We are still looking for the body of a Rustenburg sex worker, only known as Lerato, who was reported to have died in police custody in September last year. It is a shame that sex workers’ deaths are barely investigated by the IPID, and hardly mentioned in the news. It is as if our lives do not count”, said Sisonke National Coordinator, Kholi Buthelezi.

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Members of the provincial legislature from all political parties united in expressing their displeasure at Premier Thandi Modise’s state of the province address.

In their response to Modise’s address members dismissed the speech as a mere rehash onfselected issues done by various departments in the past without necessarily laying the groundwork for the coming year.

Top among their concerns was the premier’s silence on promises made in the past, her inaction on members of her executive facing damaging allegations or those implicated in financial misuse.

Hoffman Galeng of the ANC said: “The province was promised 10 priority roads last year and we would have appreciated being updated on the progress. If there were problems with this commitment, the premier should have taken the people of the province into her confidence.”

He also cited the silence around the protracted issue of the Koster-Lichtenburg road, now set to cost more than R200m against the initial contract value of R97m.

Galeng hinted that rampant corruption was likely to bring governance to its knees.

“Ours is a government bleeding from the effects of fraud and corruption in high offices.”

Cope provincial leader Nikiwe Num said: “We call for an audit of the performance of MECs. We demand the immediate release of MECs who are not responding to the call of being servant leaders and are driven by status and authority.”

Former Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates coaches Ted Dumitru and Augusto Palacios are divided on the impact Benni McCarthy could have for the Bucs in the Soweto derby on Saturday.

As the buildup for the country’s premier derby continues, Dumitru and Palacios – who are two of only three coaches to have managed both clubs – spoke about which of the two soccer giants will walk away with the honours in the potentially explosive encounter.

The “Professor”, as Dumitru is known, believes that the 35-year-old veteran striker is not yet ready to play in a game of this magnitude after coming back from a thigh injury.

“Benni is coming back from injury and while his big match temperament is an asset for the visitors, I don’t believe he is ready to lead the Bucs attack in such a crucial game. He is also short tempered when not 100% fit and that will allow Chiefs to frustrate him. He will react and a red card will likely follow,” Dumitru said.

But “Njenje” begs to differ, saying that the Bafana Bafana all-time leading goalscorer can offer much in his team’s attempt to beat Chiefs.

“It is true that Benni has not reached his peak, but if the coach feels he is ready to play against Chiefs, let him use him.

“His influence goes beyond just scoring goals. He offers so much in terms of motivating the players around him. That would be key for Pirates,” Palacios said.

This is also a game that offers more than just the three points at stake, since the results could be decisive for the title race.

The two coaches agreed that it would be in the midfield where the much anticipated match would be won and lost, with tussles between Reneilwe Letsholonyane and Andile Jali expected to be a big feature in the proceedings.

Over the years, the derby has shown that form is meaningless and that character and the ability to rise to the occasion wins this particular match.

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