THE Presidency yesterday confirmed media reports that suspended police commissioner Bheki Cele and President Jacob Zuma met on Friday but would say nothing about Cele's fate.

The Sunday Times yesterday reported that Cele and Zuma met in Durban on Friday to discuss Zuma's decision to fire the police chief.

Presidency spokesman Mac Maharaj said yesterday: "The president had called the meeting to discuss the report of the board of inquiry chaired by Justice Jake Moloi.

"The content of the discussions remain confidential. The president will announce his decision as soon as he has completed all necessary processes."

Cele's spokesman, Vuyo Mkhize, said Cele called for Friday's meeting, not Zuma. He refused to comment further but said the meeting was to discuss "certain issues we are not prepared to elaborate on".

Reports that Zuma had fired Cele surfaced on Wednesday.

Last month a board of inquiry led by Moloi recommended that Cele be fired, saying he was "dishonest" and unfit to hold office because of his role in the R1.7-billion scandal around the leasing of two police buildings.

The board was appointed by Zuma six months after Public Protector Thuli Madonsela found Cele's involvement in the lease deals was "maladministration" and "improper".

The board found that senior police officials had lied to protect Cele and that many of the written public submissions to support Cele's case were identical and only the names on the pages were different.

Cele wrote to Zuma last month, maintaining that the Moloi board's findings should be ignored.

Maharaj said he could not say when a decision about Cele's future would be announced, but Zuma was aware of the "urgency and seriousness of the matter".

Cele is expected to file court papers this week to challenge the board's report.