If the wish of Bulawayo East House of Assembly Member Ms Thabitha Khumalo comes true Zimbabwe will soon have a Commercial Sex Workers’ Union affiliated to the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU).

Ms Khumalo last week said she intends to ensure prostitutes sign a petition advocating special access to health services. More than 300 prostitutes have been mobilised so far with a view to making them join a representative union under which their activities would be legalised.

Some of the points she raises about how our society is in denial about prostitution make sense – in fact we wrote an article titled A Case for the Regulation of Prostitution in Zimbabwe last year highlighting some of the issues. Ms Khumalo also raises issues pertaining to HIV, access to health care and the need to discuss and explore the issue of prostitution maturely.

Prostitution is indeed as old as humanity itself, but we doubt that some of our influential leaders most of whom are traditional moralist will allow any formal organization of prostitutes to see the light of day.

Not that they have any problem in using prostitutes themselves.