The Association of Private Security Owners of South Africa (Tapsosa), which represents over 2,000 black-owned security firms, has accused Eskom of systematically targeting, sidelining, and financially crippling its member companies.
It alleged a coordinated “purge” involving senior Eskom executives, with R1.3 billion in unpaid invoices now at the centre of the standoff.
In a detailed letter sent to Eskom Group CEO Dan Marokane, Tapsosa requested an urgent meeting with him and senior executives to discuss what it calls “a sustained pattern of victimisation and purging” of its members.
The allegations, which include claims of operational sabotage, blacklisting, and procurement manipulation, have drawn renewed scrutiny over the power utility’s handling of service provider relationships and internal governance.
Tapsosa alleges that the country’s power utility is deliberately pushing black-owned security companies out of the supply chain by withholding payments, raising “unfounded” corruption allegations, and unlawfully deactivating vendor numbers. However, Eskom continues to do business with companies that have been previously implicated in corruption.
Dated May 20, 2025 and seen by this publication, the letter cites a longstanding legal dispute involving a member company, and details how black-owned firms are allegedly being targeted through parallel vetting processes that override procurement recommendations in favour of preferred suppliers.
According to Tapsosa, these processes are often driven by entrenched internal networks within Eskom.
Tapsosa spokesperson Sindiswa Changuion said the association’s leadership decided to go public after exhausting internal complaint channels.
“We’ve written letters, requested meetings, and reported concerns about the growing marginalisation of our members. The situation has worsened. Some companies are on the verge of collapse,” said Changuion.
“Our members are owed more than R1.3 billion. This isn’t just a business matter anymore. This is affecting families, jobs, and mental health. People are depressed, and some have even contemplated suicide because of the financial stress.”
According to Changuion, several companies have been blacklisted without a clear disciplinary process or evidence of wrongdoing. Others have reportedly been subjected to repetitive investigations as a way to delay or block payments.
“Eskom has created a culture where certain companies can operate with impunity—even after being implicated in wrongdoing by oversight institutions—while legitimate, black-owned businesses are unfairly penalised,” Changuion added.
Double standards and unanswered questions
Tapsosa also raised concerns about what it called a double standard in Eskom’s treatment of service providers.
The association alleged that Eskom continues to do business with a company that was flagged by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) and discussed in Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA). That company, according to Changuion, has retained its vendor number and recently secured contracts worth over R40 million.
“Although the SIU presented findings to SCOPA confirming wrongdoing by Eskom employees and the implicated company, that entity still does business with Eskom. Their vendor number remains active, and no steps have been taken to blacklist them,” she said.
“Meanwhile, we have members who are removed from the database based on unproven allegations. This inconsistency in how procurement and disciplinary processes are applied raises serious questions.”