Fight over billions heads to court after Acsa cancels smart security tender

2026-03-02 - 04:43

A multibillion-rand airport security tender is heading to the Gauteng Division of the High Court after Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) abruptly cancelled a 10-year contract for new smart detection equipment at major airports. The application was brought by security company Mafoko Security Patrols, which seeks to have the tender cancellation set aside. Acsa cancels multibillion contract Sources close to Acsa said Mafoko was, at the time of cancellation, the awardee designate. The tender called for the “design, supply, project management, installation, integration, testing, commissioning, handover and maintenance of smart new detection equipment”. It included the decommissioning of existing detection equipment for a period of 10 years at Acsa-owned and operated airports. ALSO READ: Unpaid guards at national key points spark security alarm The equipment list included full body scanners, advanced X-ray inspection systems, trace detection systems and automated tray return solutions intended to modernise passenger screening infrastructure across nine airports. Though Acsa has declined to disclose the estimated value of the tender, sources close to the procurement process indicated that the contract could have been worth between R3 billion and R6 billion over its full term. Mafoko claims tender cancelled over ‘material irregularity’ In court papers, Mafoko argued that Acsa cancelled the tender at adjudication stage on the basis of a “material irregularity in the tender process.” Acsa spokesperson Ofentse Dijoe declined to answer questions relating to the alleged irregularities. Mafoko said the cancellation was unlawful and invalid and that Acsa relied on repealed regulations when invoking Regulation 13 of the 2017 Preferential Procurement Regulations. That regulation permits an organ of state to cancel a tender before award only under limited circumstances, including where there is no longer a need for the goods or services, where funding is unavailable, where no acceptable tender is received, or where there is a material irregularity in the tender process, as Acsa claimed. Mafoko argued that the 2017 regulations were repealed in January 2023 and replaced by a 2022 framework, meaning any reliance on them would render the cancellation legally defective. A recent investigation by The Citizen revealed Mafoko’s controversial win of the still-unused and still to be commissioned R36 million explosive trace detection equipment tender on an emergency basis three years ago, Acsa’s own admitted irregularities in that process and mounting scrutiny following reports in mid-January that some security staff had not been paid over December at key national installations. ALSO READ: Acsa multimillion-rand emergency tender sits unused Mafoko is also presently a service provider to Acsa and provides security personnel at OR Tambo International Airport. Mafoko’s managing director, Lebo Nare, said in his founding affidavit that the company fully complied with all requirements, including compulsory briefings, site visits and submission deadlines. He further stated that the decision to cancel was taken after the evaluation process had been completed and before any award was made, and that no detailed reasons were provided despite repeated requests. Dijoe declined to comment on whether Mafoko had been the intended awardee prior to the cancellation. He confirmed that no other bidders have challenged the cancellation and that similar security tenders have been cancelled in recent years. Acsa has until 10 March to file the record of its decision in terms of Rule 53 of the Uniform Rules of Court, which requires an organ of state to produce the complete record and reasons underpinning the decision under review. Mafoko’s Nare did not respond to questions by the time of publication.