BLANTYRE-(MaraviPost)-The Mwanza Border has been closed due to a standoff between clearing agents and the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) management.
The agents, led by Chairman Colentino Nthani, have downed tools, demanding the removal of the station manager and three other staff members under her supervision.
According to Nthani, MRA staff at the border are not working professionally, causing unnecessary delays in clearing goods.
Trucks carrying essential goods, which should take a maximum of two hours to clear, are now taking up to five days to process.
This has led to congestion at the border, with importers often blamed for the delays.
The agents claim some MRA officers are working to sabotage certain individuals while intimidating clearing agents, further exacerbating the situation.
“Some officers are working to sabotage some body whilst intimidating clearing agents and this has frustrated the agents,” Nthani explained.
MRA Commissioner for Customs, Cornelius Kakwesa, has traveled from Blantyre to address the issue.
The border closure has brought trade to a standstill, with no trucks allowed to enter or exit.
This dispute highlights ongoing challenges at Malawi’s borders, where inefficient processes and infrastructure have long plagued traders.
In recent efforts to improve trade facilitation, MRA has implemented initiatives like merging systems with the Malawi Bureau of Standards to speed up import clearance.
The outcome of the discussions between the clearing agents and MRA officials remains to be seen, but traders are anxiously awaiting a resolution to restore normal trade operations.