Discussion are underway between the board of Armscor and its CEO Sipho Thomo to find an "amicable solution" after his refusal to resign, its chairman said on Saturday.

"Armscor representatives met with the CEO on Friday and good progress has been made," said Popo Molefe, adding that further discussions over the matter would take place on Tuesday.

On Wednesday Molefe told parliament that Thomo had been asked to resign, but he refused. Thomo said he was not planning to resign as he had no reason to.

Opposition parties have welcomed the board's decision to ask Thomo to step down but raised concerns over why it had taken them so long.

They suggested that it was his handling of information about the cost of the country's now cancelled deal to buy Airbus A400M heavy-lift planes that finally prompted the board to act despite long-standing tension with Thomo.

Thomo admitted to shocked MPs last month that the cost had rocketed from an already steep R17-billion in 2006 to an "estimated" R47-billion. Cabinet then scrapped the deal.

The request for his resignation comes as the ongoing battle between the Eskom board and CEO Jacob Maroga continues.

Eskom board chair Bobby Godsell quit on Monday because the board could not secure the government's support for its acceptance of Maroga's earlier resignation.

This followed a disagreement between Godsell and Maroga over how the parastatal should be run.

Maroga's resignation was finally confirmed by Eskom's board on Thursday.