Night Clubs 'forcing dancers to strip'

SEVERAL young women hired as dancers in some nightclubs dotted around the country end up stripping on stage at the bidding of their employers after failure to read the fine print in their contracts, most of which are verbal, a report by NewsDay reveals.

According to the publication, several nightclubs are making a killing through allowing "private sessions" between strippers and individual patrons.

Shepherd Tsandukwa, who manages popular dancer, Chocolate, revealed last week that some club proprietors were taking advantage of dancers and turning them into strippers.

"There are some girls, who are being recruited at night clubs as dancers, but are later turned into strippers by the clubs' managers," he alleged.

"Some of the girls are working for about 18 hours per day and are given orders to entertain the clients beyond professional duties and later take peanuts home, while their bosses pocket good cash from this exploitation."

Although several dancers, who ended up stripping, were reluctant to speak, citing fear of victimisation, a former dancer at a top club in Harare confirmed the reports.

"I went through a lot and eventually, I had to leave because I had no choice. I had to quit," she said in a terse response to an enquiry.

Others have justified stripping as a professional job that contributes to a multi-billion dollar industry worldwide.

Although clubs and professional strippers are licensed by the Censorship Board under the Censorship and Entertainment (Control) Act, contact between strippers and patrons, as well as stripping are outlawed.

Clubs that offer adult entertainment include Holly's, Tipperary and Private Lounge in Harare and Bulawayo.

The strippers have pulled the rug from under the feet of popular dancers such as Noleen "Zoey" Sifelani, Beverly Sibanda and Chocolate.