Makongeni brothels have now turned into 'apartments' following Governor Ferdinand Waititu crackdown on illicit brews.
Some have also sacked some of their staffs with sex workers who were regular patrons there opting for other things like hawking coffee, fruits, sweets among others.
Visiting one of the famous and notorious brothel in Makongeni Phase Five which used to be a beehive of activities during the day, you would confuse it for a morgue. There is no more life and it has since been deserted and activities only resume at night.
The brothel owners who were into liquor business are counting losses as the ban on illicit and second generation brews continues to bite. Many of them were relying on the second generation brews which are popular with low income earners.
However, some are operating underground as they wait to see whether they will be allowed to resume business with the old licences.
"We have no single customer at all today. Revellers are in fear. Our liqour attracted so many customers in these rooms but today things are very different forcing us to turn some of them into rental rooms," one brothel owner said on Friday.