Now she complains that foreigners will be scared off by fear of AIDS and crime and there will be no World Cup bonanza.
South Africa has the world's biggest HIV caseload, with 5.7 million cases, and foreign fans have been repeatedly warned in their home countries about the dangers of casual sex.
"It's great that the World Cup will be held here... I just wish we could have a bit of the pie," said Zandile, who works the streets of Sandton, one of Johannesburg's richest suburbs and a glitzy hub for entertainment and business.
"Foreigners and tourists don't like to look for the girls on the streets," said Mudiwa, a sex worker from Zimbabwe.
"The government needs to create a safe space for us, so that the customers know where to find us. When you get into a car, you never know if you'll be able to see your child again."
Instead, cities such as Cape Town have preferred to clean up the streets, following New York's zero tolerance approach to crime.
"There are so many logistical and political issues inherent in the World Cup that sex work is very low on the agenda...it's politically much more expedient to ignore the problem than to deal with it head on," said Marlise Richter, a researcher who collaborates with sex worker advocacy groups.
Germany changed its criminal law around sex work ahead of the event, but in South Africa "that opportunity has been wasted", Richter said.
"We can't give them shelter because we can't be part of a crime...we can't have a banana republic that creates laws for an event for one month," she said.
"People see us as breeders of AIDS, and that kills the business for us," said Mpho, another Sandton street girl.
Due to its clandestine nature, the number of sex workers in South Africa, the continent's economic mecca, is difficult to ascertain, with many operating from city brothels or suburban homes and some at high-end apartments, catering almost exclusively for foreign clients.
