NSANJE-(MaraviPost) – Malawi Court in the southern district of Nsanje has on Tuesday sentenced Eric Aniva-the Hyena to two years imprisonment for sexual rituals cleansing.Aniva was found guilty on two counts; engaging in harmful practices and attempting to engage in harmful practices contrary to Section 5 subsections 1 and 2 of the Gender Act of 2013.
The Hyena Aniva who was in a blue and white stripes golf shirt, remained calm and composed when the Magistrate was pronouncing the sentence.
Principal Resident Magistrate Innocent Nebi told the jam-packed court that Aniva showed no remorse during the entire hearing process therefore the court had to take a tough stance to deter would be offenders.
Nebi observed that the convict had no regard to the feelings of widows, no regard to dignity of women and it is even doubtful that condoms were used arguing that such a culture has no place in the country.
“Giving you a fine or suspended sentence is a mockery to justice. I convict you to serve 24 months’ imprisonment.The court has sentenced you to 24 months for the first count of engaging in harmful practices and 10 months on second count of attempting to engage in harmful cultural practices.
“These sentences are supposed to be served concurrently with effect from the day he was arrested,” said Nebi.
However, Nsanje hyena’s lawyer Micheal Goba Chipeta disclosed that he will appeal against the sentence at the High Court.
Goba observed that there was a miscarriage of justice and a lot of errors made in the conviction and sentencing.
Chipeta added that he was disappointed with the jail term with hard labour thinking his client would be given a suspended sentence.
He repeated that the culture has been there for over 100 years while the laws against engaging in harmful practices were enacted some three years ago therefore it is inhuman to give the convict a custodial sentence.
“On the sentencing, the Gender Equality Act of 2013 provides an option of either fine or sentence which the magistrate did not consider.
“The 100 women who were claimed to have been involved in the practice none of them came in court to testify. What we were expecting was a fine or suspended sentence. We are going to appeal both the conviction and the sentence to the high cour”, said Goba.
Since the Nsanje based Aniva was arrested on July 25, 2016 following President Mutharika’s directive, the court denied him bail until judgement was passed.
Aniva, 45 was detained after confessing to a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) television interview on July 21 that he defiled more than 100 adolescent girls as part of initiation rites into womanhood and sleeping with widows in a sexual cleansing ritual when all in all was HIV positive.
During the interview with the BBC Aniva disclosed that locals used to pay him money in the range of £3 to £5 to perform the sex rituals.
Aniva added that as a hyena, the main duty is overseeing a coming-of-age ritual, where girls take part in sex over a three-day period after their first menstruation.
The Hyena Aniva hails from Chiphwembe Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Malemia in Nsanje district.