The Media, Information and Communication Committee of Parliament has summoned MultiChoice Malawi (MCM) officials to a roundtable on the suspension of DStv services in Malawi.
MCM Corporate Affairs Manager Zena Makunje confirmed the development Thursday.
In a letter— dated August 9 2023, signed by Clerk of Parliament Jeffrey Mwenyeheli and addressed to the MultiChoice Malawi Managing Director— the committee indicates that it wants to meet MultiChoice Malawi officials on August 16 to fully understand what led to the suspension of DStv services in Malawi.
“During the roundtable, the committee would like to fully understand what led to the suspension of DStv services in Malawi,” the letter reads.
On Tuesday evening, MultiChoice Africa Holdings announced that it had withdrawn its DStv services following a court ruling stopping it from effecting a tariff hike.
The withdrawal of DStv services came a few days before the start of the 2023 football season in major European leagues such as England, Spain, Italy, Germany and Portugal.
Most Malawians have for the past three decades heavily relied on DStv to enjoy football games.
In a statement on Tuesday evening, MultiChoice Africa Holdings (MAH) noted that MCM does not offer the DStv service to the public and that it could, therefore, not set or adjust tariffs for the service.
“As a result, the order handed down to MCM is incapable of being implemented by them but carries with it grave consequences for the directors and management of MultiChoice Malawi, including imprisonment.
“MAH is, given the impact on its supplier (MCM) and an increasingly adverse regulatory environment, therefore left with no option but to terminate the DStv service indefinitely,” the statement reads.
The legal battle between MCM and Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority (Macra) started on July 17 when MCM announced the hike in DStv tariffs.
This did not go down well with Macra, which went to court and obtained an injunction against the hike on July 29.
But MCM also went to court to stay the injunction obtained by Macra.
The two institutions met in court again this week, when the court directed that MCM should comply with the injunction obtained by Macra on July 29.
The withdrawal by DStv services is likely also going to affect affluent Malawians who access local television channels through the DStv platform.
