PHOTOS: Zimbabwe’s godmother of prostitutes, who has slept with over 4000 men, says she is retiring

During her legendary career as a prostitute, this woman served more than 4,000 men. Now 55-year-old Sylvia Kandeya decides to go on retirement. Share

She lives in Mount Darwin, the town that lies in the Mount Darwin District, in Mashonaland Central Province in northeastern Zimbabwe. She is considered the godmother of all sex workers in and around Madondo shopping center and sex workers bow before her.

 “The only work that I have done in my life is to sell sex services for close to three decades; I am 55 years now and I don’t remember the exact number of men that I have offered services. The number may be as high as 4000 men,” Kandeya says. She confessed that used to sleep with more than 7 men per day. But now things have changed. Before retirement, it’s one or two men per month. It seems that woman likes her life and even lives in harmony with herself. She managed to buy a stand in the town, built a house and also sent her children to school. When it comes to competition with young and energetic sex workers, Kandeya has the wisdom strategy: “I don’t compete with them; I assist them whenever it’s necessary and I have opened a register to know which sex worker is at Madondo shopping center in case something happens to them.” The woman even sub-divided her house into several rooms where they stay and pay her rentals. Sometimes when business is low, she gives them time to make money and pay later. 

From time to time Kandeya also puts one’s hand to the plow: “With age, I now have very few clients that I serve personally and two permanent one who come for the ‘good service’. It’s not a secret, I am HIV positive, but that’s not the reason for retirement, it has to do with age. I got tested in 2005, that’s when I discovered that I am HIV positive and since then I have been living positively and now l also educate younger sex workers the use of condoms.” Kandeya also notes that the current economic challenges in the country affected her business. “Sex workers here are even paid $1 for a quickie and $5 for the rest of the night, but long ago, they used to charge between $10 and $20 a night,” she sighs. So she took her retirement the right time. But lots of grateful clients will not forget Kandeya.

Culled from:  Zeenews.india.com