The Broken Women of Kabwe Town
When night falls, they rise like vampires from their homes in communities surrounding Kabwe town. They all flock to areas within town where they freely offer sex for money without the fear of the long arm of the law.
Kabwe is a town in the central province of Zambia. This is a town connecting the capital city Lusaka, the Copperbelt and other provinces and other towns within Zambia through the great north road.
Nights in the central heart of Kabwe town are not only for people working lawful night shifts like people at the fuel filling stations, people working in night clubs, people guarding premises, people selling bus tickets, people working in bakeries and take away shops, nights in Kabwe town are also for commercial sex workers.
They dress in mini skirts that barely reaches their knees as they entice potential customers while announcing reduced prices for their services. Some commercial sex workers grab men by the shirts. Men who seem to be aware of their habits are even forced to use the other side of the road.
In a town where finding a sexual partner is alot more easier than finding a job opportunity, commercial sex has become a survival strategy for some women in Kabwe.
The current economic picture of Kabwe present a sad image to look at. It's a picture of a town stuck in the shadows of it's passed economic glory days when Kabwe mine was standing at the economic heart of the town.
Kabwe now is a town with more churches than industries for people to work in. In this town, the minimum monthly pay for qualified teachers in private schools is $25 dollars. The cost of one meal per average person stands at $5 dollars. Today there are more women patronizing beer places than men in Kabwe.
Gambling money games called “Bonanza” in most of Kabwe's shanty compounds have become free for all as children under 9 years invade shops and bars to play the popular money games.
The town is home to the famous Broken Hill Man or Rhodesia Man. A cranium discovered on 17th june 1921 by Tom Zwiglaar, a Swiss miner and an African miner whose name was not recorded. The skull is kept in the National Museum of London.
The Broken Women of Kabwe town have the day to sleep and night to sell sex.