Fedex Delay + Customs Clearance

I order dietary supplements from the US intermittently and have been using Fedex of late to help get my package through to me asap. While all my last packages have been cleared by Fedex successfully (albeit a few of them late), my last package according to the shipper/ supplier was supposed to have been delivered within 4 business days from date of order 22/03/2019. On 02/04/2019 I received a notification from one of the clearance administrators that I had to obtain an Import Permit from the Medical Control Council of SA otherwise the package items will be returned to the supplier or destroyed. While I understand that this is not a Fedex issue, I did explain to him that I've never had to obtain an import permit before and that the items are for personal. They are also dietary supplements that I've brought in before with no issue. I had also provided product information to the clearance administrator as per his request to submit to POH to facilitate clearance justification. We are now sitting on 09/04/2019 making it 19 days from date of order which is contrary to the shipping service I actually paid for. Unfortunately, the delay and lack of automatic feedback is dismal.

My concerns here are what attempt is being made by any of the Fedex representatives to make sure customs acknowledges the info I have submitted. What effort are they putting in to ensure that my package does actually get cleared asap.

Also, how is it possible that Fedex is charging exorbitant prices for clearance and delivery compared to the likes of DHL.