A45-YEARO L D m a n o f C h i p a t a who had his genitals cut off by unknown people in a suspected ritual attack says his dream of marrying has been shattered and has demanded justice. Seveni Phiri, a Malawian who lives in Mashanga village in Paramount Chief Mpezeni’s area, met his fate on Thursday night last week. In an interview from his hospital bed at Chipata Central Hospital, Mr Phiri said he was working as a cattle herder in Mashanga village as a way of raising money so that he could marry.

He said he could not marry despite being 45 years old due to economic hardships. Mr Phiri said he loves children and wanted to have his own but that his dream has been shattered by the people who attacked him. He said he has accepted that he will never have his genitals back. Mr Phiri thanks God for saving his life despite losing an essential part of his body. He went to buy salt from a nearby shop when he was attacked. When he reached the shop, he found his friends, who offered him two bottles of a highly potent alcoholic drink commonly known as Junta. He stayed with his friends and took the drink before he started off for home.

While walking home, he was hit from behind and the attackers overpowered him. “As you see me here, I am not sure if I am a man or woman because I no longer have the part which made me feel a man,” he said. “I am recovering well but I am in pain because the people who did this made me permanently impotent,” he said.

Mr Phiri has appealed to the police to find the assailants and have them hanged until pronounced dead. “I want the police to find the people who did this to me before they start enjoying the proceeds of my genitals,” he said. Mr Phiri said he can identify his attackers if he sees them because he saw their faces. P o lic e h a v e la u n c h e d a manhunt for Mr Phiri’s attackers.