by Gugu Mgwebi

Walking in the streets of Quigney during the early hours of any given morning, but especially on weekends, one finds the place teeming with young men and women mainly in their teenage years and early adulthood.

A section of this crowd is here on a serious quest for survival – which entails putting food on the table for the infant at home, the unemployed mother, the motherless and fatherless siblings waiting in hope, or simply striving to fend for themselves.

Having witnessed the ongoing transactions on street corners on numerous occasions, though, I am unable to tell who among the sex workers are out there to genuinely fight poverty in their own ways, and who are there simply to engage in mischief and, with a bit of luck, get money to finance other equally mischievous indulgences.

Sadly, it’s very possible that there are hordes of teenagers who are ready to resort to anything – be it prostitution or crime – just to maintain a habit.

The end result of these indulgences by teenagers and young adults is resulting in unwanted pregnancies as well as a surge in sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS. The resultant problems tend to put a strain on the national economy in numerous ways.

Poverty and disease are just two of the major battles that government and society as a whole still need to fight, especially in South Africa. Although there are historical explanations to the current poverty maps in the country, it is nevertheless important to point out that society cannot constantly blame its past without making deliberate efforts to make a change for the better.

Engaging in prostitution, taking drugs and general truancy may be sociologically recognisable ways that some youth respond to the pressures of poverty.

However, these are not the only ways in which the youth can deal with the problems that confront them today. There are better ways, with better consequences. What they are doing is effectively undermining government efforts to combat poverty and disease in the long term by compounding an already desperate situation.

Statistical indicators  show that KwaZulu-Natal at 39.1% is leading in HIV/AIDS infections with Mpumalanga coming in second at 32.1%, followed by Free State(31.1%), Gauteng (30.8%), North West (29%), Eastern Cape (29%), Limpopo (20.7%), Northern Cape (15.6%) and Western Cape at 15.2% having the least HIV/AIDS infections in the country.

The spread of HIV/AIDS and viral STDs claims many lives daily – including young men and women, and children. Unemployment and the spread of HIV and AIDS is partly being fuelled by migration between rural and urban areas. The economy is simply unable to keep up with job creation aimed at absorbing the extra units of labour joining the labour market after school and those moving to urban areas seeking a livelihood.

People from the rural areas leave their homes in search of a better life and opportunities in the cities. Quite often their expectations are not fulfilled. This can lead to prostitution, crime and HIV/AIDS, creating a vicious cycle of poverty. Severe poverty is moving to the cities and provides a serious challenge for government and policy makers.

Municipalities are evidently starting to feel the heat as sporadic and invariably violent service-related protests erupt across the country. Rather than declining in number and size, informal settlements are becoming larger and the demand for housing and other attendant social services is increasing.

The Eastern Cape population is mainly rural and its hinterland is largely underdeveloped. As a result, its rate of unemployment is higher than the national average.

Quigney, which should ideally be part of a thriving tourism-related business area on the beachfront of East London, is anything but that. There are places where children are exposed to pornographic films, drug abuse and irresponsible and excessive drinking of alcohol. Almost all the street corners are swarming with youngsters, some of whom are prostitutes.

Out of desperation, at times some of them engage in unprotected sex with clients for the purpose of making extra money. Prostitutes are mainly young girls and although some homosexual men engage in prostitution, the younger boys are involved in crimes such as housebreaking, shoplifting, and harassing the “wealthy” for their valuable assets.

Alcohol and drug abuse is a common element among prostitutes and criminals in the Quigney area.

The Buffalo City Municipality, together with the police, need to step up efforts aimed at dealing with the problem before it gets worse. There is a need to enforce the relevant by-laws and ensure that criminal elements do not prey on vulnerable youths by selling them illicit drugs.

Parents and the community at large also have a role to play in trying to stem the tide towards further moral decadence in the area. Alternative livelihoods must also be devised so that those who turn from their wayward ways can get re-integrated into society productively. There are of course a number of initiatives aimed at helping the youth nurture their entrepreneurial capacities. However, access to information regarding such opportunities is always a challenge for the poor. Nevertheless, efforts should focus on informing those who are interested in taking up available alternatives.

Campaigns such as LoveLife and the Umsobomvu Youth Fund could do a lot of good for the young people languishing in the Quigney area.  Provision of health services which provide information on primary and municipal health services (environmental health) should be prioritised.

There seems to be an alarming amount of ignorance among the youth about the dangers posed by their often-promiscuous behaviour, which frequently includes having unprotected sex with multiple partners.

The numerous organisations dealing with issues of HIV and AIDS also need to step up their efforts in the area in order to save lives and indirectly alleviate poverty.

The Local Government Transformer Oct/Nov 2007