Cape Town — President Thabo Mbeki will not dismiss Safety and Security Minister Charles Nqakula or Justice Minister Brigitte Mabandla if they fail to achieve government's target of a 7%-10% reduction in violent crime each year.

Although Parliament was not in session yesterday, Mbeki had replied to a written question from Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon following the president's New Year message in which he urged all South Africans to join the fight against crime.

"We must continue to confront the problem of high levels of crime, including violent crimes committed against the most vulnerable in our society, such as women, children and the elderly," he said.

Leon had asked the president "whether he has taken, or intends taking, any steps to ensure that the minister of safety and security and the minister for justice and constitutional development will forfeit their offices if the government does not achieve a 7%-10% reduction in the number of contact crimes within the next six months".

For two years government has committed itself to these reduction targets in violent crimes, but has not achieved them. Mbeki said: "We do not approach successes and short-comings from the point of view of the politics of grandstanding but seriously and collectively, as cabinet, we seek to identify strategic and operational steps that need to be taken to improve our work."

He said the cabinet's assessment of recent trends "is that indeed some progress has been made to reduce incidence of contact crime; but there are challenges that need to be addressed".

"As government we are committed to working with all South Africans to ensure that we achieve our objectives. We would like to encourage all ministers to continue with their good work, and pledge our full support for their efforts to meet government's objectives," the president said.

In reply to another question from Leon, Mbeki took refuge behind the constitution for not releasing the report of the Khampepe commission into who should hold the political authority over the Scorpions.

Government accepted the recommendations that the Scorpions should fall under the safety and security minister but not be merged with the police.

The unit would remain part of the justice department.

Mbeki said that in appointing the commission of inquiry, he had acted under the powers vested in him in terms of section 84(2) of the constitution, which does not require the report to be released to anyone other than the president.