The Republic of South Africa (RSA), commonly shortened to South Africa, is the southernmost country on the African continent. The population was 54,956,900 in the 2015 census. South Africa has no legally defined capital city and unique in this. Instead, there are three capital cities housing the various branches of government. Cape Town is the legislative capital. Pretoria has the Presidential and Cabinet seats. Most foreign embassies are also located here. Finally, Bloemfontein is the seat of the Supreme Court of Appeal, consequently, the judicial capital. Johannesburg holds the Constitutional court. The reason for this dates back to the creation of the country, where there was conflict on which city should house the government. As a compromise, no city was allowed to wield too much power, so the branches were spread out.
The Southern Africa coastline stretches 2,789km along the South Atlantic and Indian oceans. the north borders with Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Mozambique and Swaziland are to the east and northeast. The country surrounds Lesotho. South Africa is the 25th largest country in the world. Africans with sub-Saharan ancestry make up 80% of the population, many different ethic groups, therefore, speaking a variety of dialects. The government officially recognises eight. European, Asian and multiracial ethnicities make up the remainder of the population. Strip clubs in South Africa reflect this.
South Africa has eleven official languages, which coincide with the multi-ethnicity of the society. Two languages are of European origin. Afrikaans, developed from the Dutch brought to the country by settlers and English, also a vestige of colonisation. Racial segregation was predominant throughout the early 20th century. However, the country repealed discriminatory laws from the 1990's onwards. Parliament has represented all ethnic groups from 1994. South Africa has a parliamentary republic and nine provinces. It is an upper-middle-income economy and the country is newly industrialised. The country has the second largest economy in Africa after Nigeria. However, there is still widespread poverty. Furthermore, a quarter of the population is unemployed. South Africa is 10th in the world for income inequality.
South Africa is an extremely popular tourist destination and a large amount of revenue comes from this. Germany, the US, China, Japan, the UK and Spain are RSA's main trading partners. The agricultural industry employs around 10% of the population which is relatively low, in comparison to other African countries. South Africa has very arid land, so, due to this, only 13.5% can be used for crop production. Furthermore, land considered to be high potential is only 3% of this.
System of Strip clubs in South Africa
Strip clubs in South Africa run on a combination of the '
champagne' and '
lap dance' systems. Clubs offer champagne commission as well as lap dance commission. However, fixed salaries are, rarely, offered. There is a level of focus on the stage and some require to do at least one elaborate, themed, full nude show per week. Dancers do topless stage performances on rotation and tipping is welcomed. Champagne commission encourages girls to start selling very quickly in proceedings. As they do not have wages, any time spent on the floor is for free. This also creates a sense of urgency for the dancers to sell so clients should be conscious of this. There are some very big clubs, with large numbers of girls. Therefore, it can competitive amongst dancers.
Legalities of strip clubs in South Africa
Clients expect a certain level of contact in private shows. Strip clubs in South Africa often accommodate this. Some clubs allow girls to be booked out, for an extremely high fee. Dancers cannot work the club for the rest of the night so it has to be worth their while. This can often lead to prostitution outside the premises but strictly none on-site. Some clubs will allow full prostitution in the venue. Therefore, dancers and clients need to be cautious about where they choose to go.
South Africa has the highest HIV rate in the world, with seven million people living with the disease. There is a disproportionate number of blacks with the disease, relative to whites. This is due to lack of education programs in certain communities and the segregation that occurred for a very long time. For a significant period, the disease was denied by the authorities. After large amounts of international pressure, they relented and have increased funding for measures to combat the disease.
Prostitution is illegal in South Africa, due to the 1957 Sexual Offences Act. The authorities amended the act in 2007 to include the purchase of sex. However, it is very common throughout the country. Large amounts of corruption and a lot of poverty mean it is a very lucrative business, so not quashed or focused on by the authorities. Strip clubs are very expensive for many of the poorer parts of the population, consequently, they are mainly frequented by upper members of society and foreigners.
Types of dancers in strip clubs in South Africa
Dancers in gentlemen's clubs in South Africa come from variety of backgrounds. Poverty in the country leads some girls to pursue work in the industry. Conversely, South Africa's reputation as a spectacular tourist destination also attracts international dancers. These girls want to make money, enjoy their time and explore. South Africa is the gateway to some very beautiful, politically stable African countries with safari, adventure sports and hiking freely available. Due to South Africa's melting pot of cultures, girls of all shapes, sizes and colours can find a market.
Unfortunately, the South African Rand does not convert highly to a lot of western currencies, however, the benefits of the location can outweigh the negatives for those girls. Including those not primarily focused on bring extreme amounts of money home, but happy to maintain a very luxurious lifestyle there. With English being a national language, this is sufficient in the clubs. Most will speak this, both dancers and clients.
Localities of lap dancing clubs in South Africa
South Africa has strip clubs scattered throughout the country. People can find them in most of the major cities, including, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria and Durban. There can be some stigma surrounding the industry, due to, a significant number of brothels marketing themselves as strip clubs. Visitors would not struggle to find a venue if they are in the country on business or for relaxation.
You can find Gentlemen clubs in the following South African cities:
