Civil rights organisation AfriForum on Thursday demanded that President Cyril Ramaphosa deliver on his promise to act against non-performing Ministers, one of those being Police Minister Bheki Cele.

AfriForum has launched a petition, calling for Cele to go. The organisation said Cele had repeatedly proven that he was incompetent for his position.

“Under his leadership, the South African Police Service (Saps) has obviously weakened. He himself has been involved in corruption scandals – how can it then be expected that police officers at grassroots level will keep their hands clean if the Saps' political chief does not even do it,” AfriForum explained.

The organisation has written a letter to Ramaphosa, requesting detailed feedback on Cele’s professional performance, as expected from him in his presidential performance agreement.

The agreement signed between Cele and Ramaphosa took effect in June 2019 and will come to an end in April 2024.

AfriForum also wants to know the steps Ramaphosa will be taking against Cele should the assessment indicate that Cele has been “sleeping on the job”, as AfriForum believes he “clearly has”.

AfriForum chief spokesperson for community safety Jacques Broodryk said the agreement clearly stipulated the targets in crime reduction and successful prosecutions that Cele was expected to reach.

Broodryk noted that Cele was also expected to ensure a 70% conviction rate for serious fraud and corruption in the private sector, a 70% conviction rate for serious fraud and corruption in the public sector and that 90% of identified drug syndicates were neutralised with arrests.

He is also expected to ensure that 90% of identified clandestine laboratories are dismantled with arrests and that 72% of registered serious organised crime project investigations are successfully closed.

Cele must also ensure that 100% of identified illegal mining operations should be responded to in relation to requests received as well as that a 6.9% reduction in crimes against women is achieved.

Broodryk pointed out that crime was one of the biggest issues affecting citizens, and said that looking at the crime situation in the country, it was “almost certain” that Cele failed to reach his targets as set out in his performance agreement.

“We cannot afford to have an underperforming, out-of-touch and incompetent person in such an important role as Minister of Police. It’s simple, Cele must go,” he said.