Former ANC North West treasurer Suliman Carrim will remain in custody until his bail hearing resumes on Monday. Image credit @crimewatch_SA
Former ANC North West treasurer and businessman Suliman Carrim will spend the weekend behind bars. The Pretoria Magistrate’s Court postponed his bail application on Friday. The Carrim bail hearing will resume on Monday, 19 October.
Carrim will stay at Kgosi Mampuru prison in Pretoria, where officials have arranged a single cell for him. He faces a charge of contravening the Commissions Act. The charge relates to his repeated failure to appear before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.
The postponement came after both the investigating officer and Carrim testified. The State then asked for more time to verify a return flight ticket that Carrim produced in court. It also wants to check four addresses linked to him in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Mahikeng. His lawyer, Advocate Hendrik Potgieter, opposed the delay. However, the magistrate granted it.
What the court heard at the Carrim bail hearing
Prosecutor Donald Shiko argued that Carrim is a flight risk. According to the State, Carrim was travelling with his wife on a one way ticket to Dubai. His final destination was Saudi Arabia. Shiko told the court that Carrim held no return ticket.
Investigating officer Captain Kubayi testified that Carrim carried at least five bags. Kubayi said Carrim told police he would return on 27 October. However, he did not produce valid tickets at the time. Kubayi also argued that Carrim knew about the criminal case against him. Despite this, he tried to leave without telling any law enforcement agency. In addition, the State says prosecutors withdrew earlier criminal cases against Carrim, and it wants to establish why.
Carrim, however, painted a very different picture. He told the court that he was going on a religious pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. After that, he planned to travel to Pakistan and then return home. He said he has made the same trip every year for more than 15 years, and he produced his travel itinerary. According to Carrim, his bags mainly held sweets and biscuits for charity work in Pakistan. Earlier, police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe also said that Carrim had a return ticket for 28 October.
His defence handed in a police clearance certificate showing that he has no criminal record. Carrim told the court that he is not a criminal. He also disputed the State’s claims about earlier cases. He said police never charged him and he never went to court.
Furthermore, Potgieter denied that Carrim owns a house in Cape Town. He said the Johannesburg address belongs to Carrim’s business. Carrim, he said, has lived at his home in Mahikeng for 17 years. Potgieter also stressed that Carrim faces a charge of failing to appear before a commission, not fraud.
The defence also raised Carrim’s health. Potgieter told the court that his client has a heart condition and a psychiatric condition. He added that stress and anxiety are affecting him. According to the defence, Carrim suffered a heart attack in April and went to Milpark Hospital. This happened two days before he was due back at the commission.
Carrim’s clash with the commission goes back almost a year. The commission first issued him with a subpoena in November 2025. He testified in March about his business dealings with Vusimuzi Cat Matlala. Matlala’s company won a disputed R360 million police health tender. However, Carrim then missed hearings in April, June and July, citing ill health. The commission ordered him to appear in person on 14 August, subject to an independent medical examination. When he failed to appear, the commission laid criminal charges against him.
Police say Carrim could also face further charges. According to Mathe, a police cold case unit has investigated alleged fraud and corruption involving the Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality since 2025. These remain allegations, and no court has found Carrim guilty of any wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, commentary across social media platforms remains divided. Many users say the court must keep Carrim in custody because he tried to leave the country. Others argue that his travel history and return ticket deserve a fair hearing.
Read more