North West businessman Suleiman Carrim walked into the Madlanga Commission on Friday morning expecting to testify. Instead, he walked out with a postponement until March. His lawyers told the commission they did not have enough time to go through all the evidence. This came just one day after the High Court threw out his urgent application to avoid testifying altogether. The judge did not hold back. She called his court bid an abuse of process marked by fake urgency. But despite losing in court, Carrim still managed to delay the inevitable. For now, at least.
Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga, who chairs the commission, agreed to postpone Carrim’s testimony to March 9 and 10. Carrim must submit a written statement to the commission by February 27. That gives him three more weeks to prepare. But it also means the commission will have to wait even longer to hear from a man who has been at the center of explosive allegations for months. Carrim is a senior ANC figure in the North West. He serves as treasurer of the party’s Ngaka Modiri Molema region. His name has been mentioned repeatedly in testimony at the commission. He is accused of accepting money from alleged crime boss Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala. He is also accused of using his political connections to help Matlala secure payments on a controversial R360 million SAPS contract.
The High Court ruling on Thursday was brutal. Judge Denise Fischer made it clear that Carrim had been stalling for months. She noted that he was first issued a subpoena on October 29, 2025. That was more than three months ago. Instead of responding immediately, Carrim waited. He sent letters. He demanded information. He raised objections. And only when his appearance date was just days away did he rush to court claiming urgency. Judge Fischer was not impressed. She said this was not real urgency. It was self-created urgency. And that is not acceptable.
The judge also pointed out that Carrim’s legal strategy was full of contradictions. He claimed he wanted to cooperate with the commission. But at the same time, he imposed impossible conditions. He demanded a long list of information before he would agree to testify. He wanted to know exactly who implicated him. He wanted copies of all the evidence against him. He wanted transcripts of every relevant hearing. The commission provided much of this information back in November. But Carrim said it was too much to work through in the time allowed. Judge Fischer said this was just another delaying tactic. She called it an orchestrated stalling strategy.
The commission opposed Carrim’s court application strongly. It argued that if every witness could impose conditions before testifying, the entire process would collapse. Commissions of inquiry have the legal power to subpoena witnesses. Those witnesses must comply. They cannot negotiate terms. They cannot refuse to appear simply because they do not like the process. Judge Fischer agreed. She said the summons was valid and in force. Carrim had no legal grounds to challenge it. She struck his application off the roll with costs.
So why did Carrim get a postponement on Friday if the court ruled against him? The simple answer is that his lawyers asked for it. They told the commission they had not had sufficient time to review the evidence. This is ironic, given that Carrim has had months to prepare. But the commission decided to grant the postponement anyway. This is not unusual. Commissions often allow witnesses extra time to prepare if they request it. The goal is to ensure a fair process, even if it causes delays.
While Carrim avoided the hot seat on Friday, senior police officer Brigadier Rachel Matjeng did not. She continued her testimony before the commission. Matjeng works in the SAPS Forensic Services Division. On Thursday, she admitted to having an affair with Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala. She said he gave her R300,000 during their relationship. She insists the payment had nothing to do with his controversial R360 million SAPS contract. She says it was a gift from a boyfriend. Whether the commission believes that remains to be seen.
Carrim’s testimony in March will be closely watched. He is expected to explain his relationship with Matlala, suspended police minister Senzo Mchunu, and Crime Intelligence head General Feroz Khan. WhatsApp messages presented to the commission show Carrim boasting about his access to Mchunu. Other testimony links him to more than R3 million in litigation funding that went through the foundation of political fixer Brown Mogotsi. These are serious allegations. Carrim will have to answer for them. But for now, he has bought himself some time. Whether that time helps him or hurts him, we will find out in March.
