Power, Poverty, and Predators: The Unspoken War on Women in South Africa

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard some version of this story: “He promised to help me get a job if I slept with him.” Or: “He said he’d pay my fees, but I had to become his girlfriend.” At some point, it stops being a story. It becomes our reality.

In South Africa today, being a woman — especially a poor woman — often means being cornered into impossible choices. It means trading dignity for survival. And far too often, those who exploit are not foreign invaders or shadowy villains. They’re our uncles. Our bosses. Our political leaders. Our Neighbours.

This is not just about “bad men.” This is a society-wide sickness — where poverty, patriarchy, and unchecked power create a perfect storm of sexual exploitation.

A Culture of Transactional Survival

South Africa has one of the highest rates of gender-based violence in the world. According to the South African Medical Research Council, over 40% of South African women will experience sexual or physical violence in their lifetime.

But there’s a darker layer we don’t talk about enough: transactional sex driven by poverty and inequality.

A 2019 study by the HSRC found that many young women engage in sexual relationships with older, wealthier men (so-called "blessers") in exchange for money, food, rent, or university fees. These aren't luxury-seeking women — they’re often girls trying to survive under impossible economic conditions.

In workplaces, the problem gets worse. A 2023 survey by Solidarity Research Institute found that over 31% of women in the private sector had experienced some form of sexual coercion or harassment during job interviews or promotions. Let that sink in: 1 in 3 women interviewed experienced sexual pressure tied to employment.

When Exploitation Hides Behind Charity

Here’s the problem: when a man offers help — a job, a bursary, a place to stay — and demands sex in return, he’s not being generous. He’s being a predator. And yet, in South Africa, this behaviour is still too often normalized, excused, or hidden.

The power imbalance is so stark that many young women feel they have no choice. I’ve spoken to girls who said, “At least he didn’t beat me,” or, “It’s better than starving.” That’s not empowerment — that’s survival under duress.

What’s worse? Some of these men are community leaders, church pastors, or business owners who enjoy public praise while abusing women behind closed doors.

My Own Brush with This System

A few years ago, I was desperately looking for work after graduating. I went to an interview where the manager said plainly: “If you want to move ahead quickly, you’ll have to be... flexible.” He wasn’t talking about my schedule. I didn’t get the job — and maybe that was a blessing. But many women in my position wouldn’t have the option to walk away.

Not because they don’t know better — but because they have no other choice.

So Who’s Really to Blame?

It’s easy to say men are the problem. And yes, male entitlement, toxic masculinity, and patriarchy are all part of this. But that’s not the whole story.

The real blame lies in: Corrupt systems that don’t punish sexual exploitation. Workplaces with no reporting mechanisms or protections. A culture that mocks poor women but protects rich men. A government that talks big on women’s rights but underfunds shelters, safe housing, and education access. We are all complicit when we look away. When we say, “That’s just how it is.” When we protect perpetrators because they’re “family” or “powerful.”

What Can Be Done?

We cannot fix poverty overnight. But we can start shifting power back to women through real, practical steps:

1. Anonymous Reporting & Whistleblower Protection. Every workplace — especially in the public sector — should have a confidential, external reporting platform for sexual harassment and coercion.
2. Support for Single Mothers & Student Survivors . Expand the funding and visibility of programs like NSFAS, but pair them with social workers and legal aid clinics that women can access discreetly.
3. Safe Housing & Economic Independence. Build and fund more state-sponsored women’s shelters and start-up grants for young women entrepreneurs — especially in rural and peri-urban areas.
4. Naming and Shaming. Publish the names of convicted sex-for-jobs offenders. End the culture of secrecy and impunity. If we can expose corrupt politicians, we can expose predators too.
5. Teach Boys Early. Start sexual ethics and consent education in primary school. Build a generation of boys who know that power is not a passport to a woman’s body.

I don’t write this as someone who has all the answers. I write this as someone who has seen the damage — in my friends, in myself, in women who never got justice. We talk a lot about “ubuntu” — about shared humanity. But what kind of ubuntu is this, where a woman must give her body to eat?

We can’t just fix the economy. We must fix our conscience. And that starts by listening to women, believing them, and fighting for a world where no girl is forced to choose between starvation and submission. Until then, every silence is complicity

[David Thusi] is a South African writer focused on economic justice, migration, and ethical technology. Through storytelling and analysis, they explore the human side of policy failure — and what it would take to build a fairer society.