DO you own a car and don’t mind turning it into a temporary sex den for use by sex workers at night?
If the answer to both questions is in the affirmative then you can join a ‘thriving’ business venture operating outside some of Bulawayo’s nightclubs.
For Bra Joe (not his real name), a chance encounter with a self-proclaimed lady of the night outside a popular nightclub got him introduced to the new business venture.
For a taxi driver who operated outside a popular nightclub near the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) train station, Bra Joe suddenly found himself offering a different kind of service to his customers.
All he had to do was offer his car, a light vehicle, for a quick sex romp by a sex worker and her client.
For a fee, of course.
US$3 is the standard fare charged, for example, for a trip from the nightclub to Makokoba suburb, but now Bra Joe makes the same amount without even moving his car an inch.
“To be honest most of my customers who hire my taxi are sex workers taking clients back home or to lodges for sex but things are changing now.
“For quick sex, the prostitutes now prefer doing it in my car outside the nightclub so that they go back in to solicit for more clients.
“They save both time and money (for paying at a lodge),” Bra Joe told B-Metro.
During the Easter holidays, business was brisk that he made about US$25 per night, excluding the money he makes from the regular taxi services that he offers at night.
“It’s all about supplementing my daily earnings.
When a prostitute wants to use my car, I simply park it in a dimly lit area close to the nightclub and stand at a distance while they do their business,” he narrated.
He says, for now, at least five ladies use his vehicle and it’s a win-win arrangement for everyone.
Do other taxi drivers also offer their vehicles as sex dens?
Bra Joe’s colleague chipped in.
“Who in their right mind would resist making over 20 bucks per night without moving their car or wasting fuel?
Of course, we all do it.
“They rarely spend more than five minutes doing their business in the car and all I do is stand at a distance, on the lookout for police,” said the colleague.
It appears the high cost of paying for a room at a lodge is working to the taxi drivers’ advantage.
On average, lodges charge US$10 for an hour, or what is termed ‘short time’.
According to Bra Joe, that same amount is enough to hire his car and to pay the sex worker.
The arrangement is always discreet so confidentiality is the name of the game.
All the prostitutes do is convince a potential client that he can save money by having sex in a taxi instead of paying for a room at a lodge.
Judging by the figures mentioned by Bra Joe and his colleague, it appears men are more than willing to forgo going to lodges for quick sex romps in taxis under the cover of darkness.
