Women counting on their blessings

Blesserfinder defends matches for sugar daddies

WHAT do you do if you want overseas trips, shopping sprees and a luxury car, but can’t afford them? Find a blesser. That’s what a 29-year-old Johannesburg bank manager did to realise her dreams. “I am an employed professional, but I want a lifestyle change. I want to move up. I want the things that I cannot afford on my own.”

The woman, who asked not to be named, is one of more than 6 000 South Africans signing up to Blesserfinder in the hopes of enjoying fine dining and free holidays — as well as having their clothing bills, rent and car instalments paid. In exchange, the benefactor usually gets sexual favours.

Blesserfinder insists it is not an online pimp site and says blessers seek companionship.

“I don’t want a relationship,” said the bank manager. “I want something open. If sex is part of that, I will do it. Some may see it as prostitution, but I don’t think it is. I will also be giving my time to this person.”

The Blesserfinder spokesman — who wanted to be identified only as Ditshego — said most of the women who had contacted the agency via Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp since it launched online three weeks ago have jobs. “They are saying that their current boyfriends are not living up to their standards.”

With just 170 blessers and 6 000-plus requests, the agency has matched only 80 couples.

“We started Blesserfinder because we read about a woman who was slutshamed on Twitter for agreeing to certain sexual acts with a blesser in Dubai,” said Ditshego. “We saw a need for blessers and blessees to be hooked up without being judged.”

Kagiso Msimango, author of The Goddess Bootcamp, said: “Why is it OK for you to trade your sex for marriage, but not OK for you to trade your sex for a job or for a trip to Dubai?”