North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo has lost a rare opportunity to prove to the public that he is not corrupt, the North West Business Forum said on Tuesday.

They were disappointed at Mahumapelo’s decision to withdraw his application for an interdict against it, which would have been heard in the High Court in Pretoria on Tuesday morning, forum spokesperson Skhalo Mogodiri said.

Mahumapelo filed an urgent application earlier this month to stop members of the forum from making defamatory statements about him.

The forum launched a campaign in 2015, which included a song, to get Mahumapelo removed from office. In his court papers, Mahumapelo said he was worried that the forum intended to intensify its smear campaign.

Mahumapelo was not immediately available for comment.

"He did not respond to us, he withdrew the matter from court. We were meant to be in court today, but the premier has denied us a rare opportunity to convict him in a court of law. He leaves the public with no option but to convict him in a court of public opinion," Mogodiri said.

"We stand by what we said. He should resign with immediate effect."