MACRA urges the public to report missing parcels by courier companies

* Following increased cases of missing parcels as MACRA registers 120 complaints against courier companies since January 2023

By Alinafe Jonas, Malawi News Agency (MANA)

Malawi Communication Regulatory Authority (MACRA) is urging the public to report poor service delivery by courier and postal companies following increased cases of missing parcels —as MACRA has registered 120 complaints since January 2023.

In an interview on Wednesday, MACRA spokesperson, Clara Ngwira consumers are required to lodge a complaint with MACRA, which engages the courier operator concerned.

“Out of 120 complaints, most of these complaints have been resolved through mediation between consumers and service providers,” she said.

Blantyre-based student, Innocent Chayera, said he has lost trust in courier companies after his K400,000 worth parcel went missing together with his academic documents in August last year.

Chayera explained that after he complained to the company, he has been receiving K10,000 every three weeks as part of refunding him, which took time to complete the full K400,000. 

“I had no confidence to report to MACRA because people were saying MACRA has a lot of unresolved issues, so going there would be a waste of time. I would rather use minibus drivers than courier companies because they are a scam,” he said.

An Avon product seller, Chikondi Nungu, said she lost an Avon product box in October 2025, which was coming from South Africa to Blantyre through one of the courier companies, and she has not been assisted since then.

“I reported the case to the courier company’s main branch, but they offered no help,” she said. “I was not aware that I could report the case to MACRA apart from the police.”

In February 2026, MACRA released a press statement highlighting the rights of consumers to lodge complaints concerning providers of ICT services, which include broadcasting, telecommunication and courier companies.

Early this month, the Competition & Fair Trading Commission (CFTC)  adjudicated over a total of 14 cases, one of which was CTS-Courier-Services, which was penalising for engaging in unconscionable conduct.

“The investigations followed complaints from two consumers: one who had sent two mobile phones worth K360,000 each, and another who sent household items valued at K95,000 through the courier service, which got lost while in transit.

But CTS Courier Services were reported to have not provided any redress when the complainants engaged the company and when from CFTC’s investigations, it was noted that the courier service provider “failed to take any meaningful steps to compensate the affected consumers”, — contravening Sections 51(b) and 51(g) of the CFTA.

CTS Courier has thus been ordered to refund the complainants the full market value of the lost or damaged items as well as the original courier service charges; and to pay a monetary penalty of K5 million for excluding liability for defective services and engaging in unconscionable conduct.—Additional reporting by Duncan Mlanjira, Maravi Express