Court adjourns ‘Nsanje hyena’ case
Nsanje Magistrate’s court on Thursday adjourned a case in which Eric Aniva, the ‘Nsanje hyena’ who confessed to sleeping with hundreds of women and girls in a traditional ritual, and Vito Nkhalamba to Wednesday for bail ruling and continued trial.
The two are answering a charge of engaging in harmful practices contrary to Section 5 sub-sections 1 and 2 of Gender Equality Act of 2013.
Judiciary spokesperson Mlenga Mvula said Principal Resident Magistrate Innocent Nebi has also moved the case to Blantyre to cut on expenses.
This means Aniva and Nkhalamba will also be moved to Blantyre and remanded there, most likely at Chichiri Prison.
Mvula said on Thursday, the state paraded three witnesses.
“The state prepared five witnesses. The other two will testify after bail ruling on Wednesday when trial continues,” he said.
Defence lawyer Michael Goba Chipeta welcomed the decision to move the case to Blantyre.
Nebi took over the case from First Grade Magistrate Anderson Masanjala who recused himself on August 15, saying he wanted to remain neutral on the matter.
On August 5, the same court refused to grant Aniva and Nkhalamba bail to pave way for further investigations. The two were remanded at Nsanje Prison.
Aniva, 40, was arrested on July 25 2016 following an order from President Peter Mutharika.
He became popular following an interview he granted the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on July 21 in which he confessed having slept with 104 women and girls in a ritual cleansing.
He hails from Tosina Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Mbenje in Nsanje.
