As the 2010 World Cup approaches, the idea of legalising prostitution for the duration of the event has become a hotly contested one. Ebrahim Moolla and Lindiwe Mlandu go head-to-head…

Ebrahim Moolla reckons that with so many solid positives in favour of legal prostitution, it's outrageous decriminalisation hasn't happened already...

Before entering into a debate on the world's oldest profession, it's important to get off your sententious high horse, and tackle the issue at street level — where, incidentally, most streetwalkers can be found.

Assigning morals is passé, especially in a society that makes prostitutes of us all. Selling your mind and soul for the filthy lucre is iniquity; using your body to meet mortgage repayments is a profession, a very pleasant form of menial labour that requires a specialized skill set.

I don't buy this Hollywood stereotype of whore as victim, downtrodden and abused with nowhere left to go. It's far more likely you'll be putting a child through school or putting a down payment on a car with someone passionate about their work. All the while indulging in the second most pleasurable activity known to man (close runner-up to watching the Arsenal win in Europe).

Letting go of sexual inhibitions goes hand in hand with intellectual freedom. Prostitutes may even be considered freedom fighters by proxy — ask any revolutionary worth his salt: shagging and shooting are firm bedmates.

One more thing to bear in mind is women have used sex as a tool for leverage against the dominant gender — you are buying into a tradition that stimulates equality. You wouldn't bring a knife to a gunfight, so why bring the Bible to a brothel? Gender equality; mental emancipation; and social upliftment: a handy triumvirate for those requiring an assuage of conscience. By rights, sex workers should be treated like other social workers — UIF, pension, medical aid, right to form a union…

The International Prostitutes Collective is just such a union, with more pro-legalisation rationale than there are massage parlours in Bangkok. Decriminalising the industry would bring prostitutes into the SARS net, allowing them to make a citizen's contribution, afford much-needed employment to a beleaguered economy, and keep bread winners in the game.

Instituting protected areas allows police to monitor narcotics and trafficking while freeing up blue resources for other more pressing issues. There'd also be a nice fillip for the tourism industry — safer cities for all women and a demystifying of prostitution as it emerges from the shadows.

Legal, economic, and civil discrimination would be done away with. The transmission of HIV/Aids and other STDs would be kept in check by close monitoring and compulsory condom usage. There are so many solid positives here that it's outrageous decriminalisation hasn't happened already.

Other countries have turned prostitution above board with only positive ramifications. In a country that proudly professes to have one of the world's most liberal constitutions, it is a backward step not to follow suit. Without amendment, we simply allow criminals to regulate the trade.

Legal or not, recession or not, you can be sure that the sex trade will thrive. As with drugs, if you want some, you'll get some. An old samurai adage states that the best way to counter an inexorable force is to deflect, or go with it. Lets showcase the best this country has to offer and ride with the tide, SA. Woza 2010!

Lindiwe Mlandu reckons that the decision to legalise prostitution will haunt the country long after the fans have packed their bags and gone home...

As a nation, South Africa is still young. We are still forming our identity; we are still laying the foundations for the nation we hope to become. Now, we want to please football fans by exploiting women to make the World Cup "successful". Talk about short-sightedness.

There is a reason why prostitution is regarded as a criminal activity in South Africa. Pretending that it is not a crime for a month makes a mockery of the country's laws. While we are at it, perhaps we should also make drugs legal; perhaps we should okay child pornography; perhaps we should do away with drunk driving laws… if that'll make our visitors more comfortable.

Rubbish! The visitors that are expected in our country next year are here for the soccer, not a sex-fest.

This discussion around decriminalisation is not, as some would argue, all about the interests of sex workers. Last year an ANC MP said that men rape because they do not have access to women. He suggested legalising prostitution to give men access to women.

This is truly degrading; it shows that women are still viewed as objects and that their best interests are far from a priority in the agenda of those pushing for legalisation.

South Africa has one of the highest rates in the world of people living with HIV/Aids. For years the government has been preaching the importance of making the right choices; it cannot now be seen to be promoting prostitution. We don't want to confuse the youth by sending out contradictory messages.

Yes, legalising it would potentially better the working conditions of sex workers and they'd be required to pay taxes which would help the economy, but so would legalising the drug trade. We should not let the frivolous demands of 2010 dictate our identity.

The World Cup will only last for a month and we'd be forever haunted by the decision. Legalising prostitution is not the way to go. In Germany — often used as an example for why we should legalise prostitution — prostitution is legal, but they still face problems. The country is still faced with forced prostitution, where perpetrators abduct women from Eastern Europe because prostitution is legal in Germany. In this country, we already have an influx of foreigners and we shouldn't do anything to promote human trafficking.

We need to put our collective foot down and say no to the exploitation of our women. We are a proud nation and our visitors should play by our rules.

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