Malawi ‘hyena man’ Aniva out of prison: Served his sentence for ritual sex, stalled appeal withdrawn

Eric Aniva, an HIV-positive, self-professed “hyena man” who had sex with over 100 women and girls in Malawi as part of a “sexual cleansing” ritual, is out of jail after serving his sentence.

The Blantyre Magistrate’s court in November 2016 sentenced Aniva to two years imprisonment on charges of indulging in harmful cultural practices and an attempt to commit the same offence contrary to Section 5 sub-sections 1-2 of Gender Equality Act of 2013.

Aniva’s lawyer Micheal Goba Chipeta said Aniva has been out of prison since December 2017 after he served his full sentence.

But Aniva had  appealed against his conviction and sentence.

His lawyer said the appeal has been withdrawn “because it jhad been rendered academic and of no practical effect.”

Aniva was the subject of a BBC feature into various sexual cleansing practices in Malawi.

He was prosecuted after he admitted in a BBC interview  to having sex with 104 women and girls in a form of ritual cleansing.

The revelations prompted President Peter Mutharika to order his arrest and that of all hyenas.

The 47-year-old was consequently arrested on July 25, 2016.

Sexual cleansing involving ‘hyenas’  known as  Kulowa Kufa is common practice in southern Malawi- and women are required to participate in it at various points in their life, including if their husband has died or if they have an abortion.

Shockingly, young girls are sent to ‘initiation camps’ by their families before puberty, where they are taught how to have sex. Then, they are forced to have sex over three days after their first period to “to avoid infection with their parents or the rest of the community”.