President Jacob Zuma must make an urgent announcement on the future of suspended police commissioner General Bheki Cele, political parties said on Thursday.

Congress of the People (Cope) MP Leonard Ramatlakane said the party was worried by Zuma's "silence" on Cele's reported dismissal.

"President Zuma must tell the nation if Cele has been fired or not. Cope believes the inevitable firing of Cele, whose office has been riddled with unpopular decisions, will help stabilise the destroyed police morale," he said in a statement.

Freedom Front Plus spokesman Pieter Groenewald said the lack of any official confirmation from Zuma was creating "further uncertainty" in the police.

"It is in the national interest that there is certainty in the police... especially surrounding the position of national commissioner," he said.

"The Freedom Front Plus calls on... Zuma to finally fire Cele and appoint a police commissioner with a strong police training record."

The presidency declined to comment on Thursday on reports that Cele had been fired.

"We have no comment on the matter at this stage," presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj said.

Cele's spokesman Vuyo Mkhize and his lawyer Vincent Maleka were not available to confirm or deny the reports.

The Star reported that Cele was informed of his axing on Wednesday. He was told to vacate his office, and that his replacement was due to report for duty on July 1.

The Times reported that Cele was told about the decision on Tuesday.

Both reports were based on unnamed sources.

The Times source said Cele would fight the dismissal "tooth and nail". "The general is not going to roll over and die. He is not that kind of man. He is strong. Stronger than this and [he] will fight all the way," the source said.

Mkhize told SABC radio news on Thursday that he saw Cele at lunch on Wednesday and said no decision had been conveyed to Cele.

He said that when similar things had previously come out in the media, they often turned out to be correct, so the reports might be accurate.

On Wednesday night Maharaj said Zuma would make his decision on Cele known when he was "ready".

Inkatha Freedom Party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi said Zuma should not "repeat the same costly mistakes" by replacing Cele with an ANC member.

"I warned the president in the National Assembly last week that the position of national police commissioner must now be filled by a trained policeman, not a comrade of the ANC."

The SA Police Union said Zuma needed to institute a commission of inquiry into recent allegations of corruption levelled at members of the SA Police Service (SAPS).

"We call upon President Jacob Zuma to show political leadership. The crisis engulfing the SAPS is beyond [Police Minister Nathi] Mthethwa now as it also involves him," it said in a statement.

"We are pained that people entrusted to lead are now being led by the courts of law and the Public Protector."

Last month, a board of inquiry appointed by Zuma found Cele unfit to hold office and recommended he be fired. He has been suspended since last year.

The inquiry followed a finding in July by Public Protector Thuli Madonsela that Cele's involvement in deals to acquire police office space was "improper, unlawful and amounted to maladministration".

Madonsela concluded that while Cele had not signed the final lease, he had initiated negotiations with property tycoon Roux Shabangu, and had seemed determined to secure the leases, despite warnings against them.

The Democratic Alliance said on Wednesday that Zuma must announce whether he has fired Cele.

"President Zuma must tell the police and the public whether he has indeed sacked Cele," said DA spokeswoman on police, Dianne Kohler Barnard.

"The ongoing uncertainty about the situation in the top brass of the [SAPS] undermines police morale, public confidence in the police and the fight against crime," she said.