Male Street Prostitution in Durban By Herman Oosthuizen and Ellenor Preston-Whyte University of Natal Male street sex workers are a distinctive sector of the industry. Largely homeless and often migrant, the majority are heterosexual men with no other means of support. The scene in Durban is characterised by two distinct pick-up areas, divided along race lines. T he sex work trade is often perceived as a women s issue, although a sizeable percentage of the prostitutes in South Africa are men. This article is based extensive field observation at these two sites from 1993 to the present, as well as 20 in depth case studies.
Male prostitutes ply the trade both as transvestites and ordinary-looking males.
Among the latter, there are three broad categories, which can be described as formal, semi-formal, and informal. They operate from the premises supplied by the owner of the establishment and work set hours. The prostitutes in this category work at virtually all hours and often share accommodation with other prostitutes who operate in a similar fashion. The Durban Scene Male street prostitution in Durban occurs largely at two venues, known among men who have sex with men as places where other like-minded men can be met. Both these venues are on the beach-front, one at South Beach and one at North Beach.