Malawi ‘hyena man’ Aniva drags govt to court over cultural sex conviction

November 9, 2020 Owen Khamula - Nyasa Times 15 Comments

Eric Aniva, a man from Nsanje who was convicted and served a two-year jail term for sleeping with over 100 women in a cultural sex scandal, says he will sue the government for jailing him over a normal cultural practice.

HIV-positive Malawi ‘hyena’ Eric Aniva was the first case to be tried under Malawi’s Gender Equality Act of 2013. Photograph: Eldson Chagara/AFP/Getty Images

Aniva, known as a “hyena”, told a local radio station that the conviction was erroneous, and he needs compensation from the government for the illegal arrest.

He was convicted in 2016 after he admitted in a BBC interview that he was paid to sleep with more than 100  women and girls without disclosing his HIV status under a cultural practice known as ‘Fisi’ (hyena).

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

The practice of “widow cleansing”, when a widow must have sex after her husband dies, was outlawed a few years ago.

However, Aniva has told MIJ Radio, he will seek legal intervention because he was arrested over a practice chiefs and those who hired him supported.

But senior chief Malemia of Nsanje said the conviction was justified and is a step forward to protecting women and girls from harmful cultural practices.

“Fisi” is a cultural practise a man is hired at a fee to sleep with a widow soon after the death of her husband in a belief that this would cleanse the woman.

However, rights and health activists blame the cultural practice for the spread of HIV and AIDS in some areas.

Aniva’s lawyer, Michael Goba Chipeta,  could not comment on the compensation claim.

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15 replies on “Malawi ‘hyena man’ Aniva drags govt to court over cultural sex conviction”

  1. Unfortunately this man was judged by the Press, Politicians and Civil Society. Judgement was influenced, no Judge would have overturned this case. Unfortunately TA Malemia acted strangely on this simply because he is a Pastor. This man should not use Malawian Courts, should be helped to use SADC Court or any other Court outside Malawi.
    The TA as a custodian of Culture, this practice was well known since the time of the Colonials there was no time that this was stopped.
    Families were approaching this man to perfom the Rituals and was paid for the services
    He was not proposing or imposing himself on the Ladies.
    There is evidence that no Woman,Girl or family complained against this gentleman. it was a BBC Reporter who exposed this on BBC Radio and foreign opinions were taken on board to persecute this man.
    This Practice is still there in other Parts of Malawi, like the North, but they have strong TA s who dont allow foreigners to interfere with their Traditions and thats why we dont know.
    This man was sentenced to two years which he served, which was not supposed to be the case. It was unfair, defeat of justice as this man was fulfilling traditional secret rituals which the Government was supposed to put a stop to it Long time ago. It was the failure of the Government and the TA not this Man

  2. Times do change, and we as people are expected to move on. Our old folks used to marry young girls without giving them a chance of education. We all agreed it was wrong and stopped it.
    In our culture we have always shown our love by shaking hands without even thinking. We have stopped and moved on because of corona.
    Can I ask this lawyer to explain to this idiot why we stopped this ‘fisi’ culture? HIV/AIDS. The practice makes a mockery of the fight against this virus.
    Can someone just quietly take him aside and sqeeze his balls may be he will keep quiet for once.

  3. Foseki
    Why should the government waste tax payment from Malawians.
    You must go back to chichiri prison for infecting woman.
    Infact the sena people who hired you must also go to prison

  5. Goba chipeta sound to be unlearned legal practioner with no ethics. Was he not the same that represented chathunya. Have sense of human and stop useless love of money.

    Legally the man is right but morale wrong ethically not worthy to sue

  7. I think this guy hasn’t repented, he thinks that such cultural practice has got place in a modern society. People let’s know Christ the Saviour.

  8. Thank you Mr. Aniva for your concerns. Now that you have come out and admitted your allegations we are sending you back into the cooler for the rest of your life where you belong. Shame on you! Your ignorance is not an excuse wamva iwe Fisi? Some of us are mothers and even if these things are not done on my own kids, my heart breaks each time I hear a child has been raped. Murder is a whole lot better to rape, for all will someday die. Rape needs a stiffer punishment Malawi. That is why you are giving these people an audacity to talk nonsense even in public. Hang them and you will successfully bring this nonsense to a halt. You give a rape case 10 years? You are kidding me? Judges revisit your laws! Help those MPs and school them. Y’all in the judiciary are the hope of new Malawi. Osaopa UN or whatever organizations. Here in the US rape cases, with proof we throw away keys. Even just touching, you are in it for big trouble. And in prison they get the worst treatment than a murderer. These monsters are spreading HIV to other peoples kids deliberately. This is evil of highest order and must be stopped now!

    1. Iam numb. So, this man is out of prison walls? Has this man changed, I don’t think so. Make this man realise that sleeping with girls and women (without protection) was putting the society at risk of sexually transmitted infections and HIV/AIDS. Every man has to be mature by protecting our women and girls. Don’t harm them.

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