Malawi sex ritualist arrested after revelations he slept with hundreds of girls despite being HIV positive

Malawian authorities have arrested a man who featured on BBC as being involved in initiation ceremonies meant to “cleanse” young girls by having sex with them.

The arrest order is reported to have come from the country’s President Peter Mutharika.
Eric Aniva had been featured by the news agency as being a ‘hyena’, a nickname to refer to persons who engage in the practice.

He revealed that he was HIV positive, but despite that, he had slept with more than 100 young girls.
The sex cleansing practice is a traditional custom endorsed and funded by some communities in southern Malawi but the government has been trying to stop it.
The BBC reports the director of communication at State House Bright Molande as saying that the president was disturbed by the revelations made in the story and has vowed to crackdown on the cultural practice.