{"id":134,"date":"2026-08-14T09:07:15","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T09:07:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insideoutnews.co.za\/?p=134"},"modified":"2026-08-14T09:07:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T09:07:16","slug":"madlanga-leaders-give-up-on-carrim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insideoutnews.co.za\/?p=134","title":{"rendered":"Madlanga Commission Evidence Leaders Give-up on Carrim Testimony After Latest No-show"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Mathipa Phishego<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(InsideOutNews)<\/a><\/em><\/strong> North West businessman Suliman Carrim<\/a> has once again failed to appear before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, prompting evidence leaders to abandon their efforts to secure his testimony after months of postponements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Carrim was scheduled to appear before the commission on Friday, 14 August, after his evidence had been postponed several times since April. His lawyers instead submitted a report from his treating doctor, maintaining that he remains medically unable to testify. However, evidence leader Advocate Adila Hassim said the report did not satisfy the commission’s requirement for an independent medical assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The commission had previously ordered Carrim to either appear in person or undergo an independent medical examination to establish whether his health prevented him from testifying. The order followed concerns raised by evidence leaders about his repeated postponements and evidence regarding his movements outside his medical facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Madlanga
Madlanga Commission leaders give up on Suliman Carrim.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Carrim has cited ill health following an alleged heart attack in April as the reason for his continued absence. His last appearance before the commission was in March. Evidence leaders have, however, questioned the extent of his incapacity after evidence was presented showing that he had regularly left the medical facility for extended periods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Carrim’s testimony matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Carrim is an important figure in the commission’s investigation into allegations of corruption, criminality and the alleged infiltration of South Africa’s criminal justice system. He has also been implicated in the SAPS Medicare 24 tender matter and is being investigated in connection with multi-million-rand transactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His failure to testify therefore creates a significant evidentiary gap. Direct testimony from Carrim could potentially have allowed the commission to question him about his business dealings, relationships and any information he may have regarding matters under investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the commission is not dependent on Carrim alone. It can consider documentary evidence, financial records, communications and testimony from other witnesses when assessing the allegations before it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the implications?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The most immediate implication is that the commission may have to proceed without Carrim’s direct version of events. This could make it more difficult for the evidence leaders to put specific allegations to him and obtain explanations under oath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The development also raises questions about the commission’s ability to deal with witnesses who repeatedly fail to appear. The chairperson had already imposed stricter conditions on further postponements, requiring an independent medical assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is also a credibility issue. The repeated postponements, combined with evidence about Carrim’s movements, have placed his medical claims under intense scrutiny. This does not, by itself, establish that Carrim is not genuinely ill, but it explains why the commission insisted on an independent assessment rather than relying solely on his treating doctor’s opinion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More broadly, the episode could test the commission’s ability to maintain momentum while ensuring that witnesses’ legal and medical rights are respected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Could Carrim still be compelled to testify?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The evidence leaders’ decision to stop pursuing his appearance does not necessarily mean that Carrim’s role in the wider investigation has ended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A commission of inquiry has powers to compel witnesses and obtain information, subject to the applicable legal framework and the chairperson’s directions. The significance of Friday’s development is that the evidence leaders appear to have reached the point where they do not believe continued attempts to secure Carrim’s oral testimony are worthwhile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That could mean the commission will rely increasingly on other evidence to address matters connected to Carrim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A setback for the inquiry but not necessarily its case<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Carrim’s continued absence is a setback because the commission loses the opportunity to hear his evidence directly and test his account through questioning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it does not automatically undermine the commission’s broader work. The inquiry can still assess the available evidence and make findings based on the totality of the material before it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bigger question now is whether Carrim’s absence will leave unanswered questions that only he can adequately address particularly regarding the allegations and transactions in which he has been implicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Madlanga Commission, Friday’s no-show may therefore mark the end of one prolonged battle over a witness and the beginning of a different phase. Determining what can be established without Carrim’s testimony.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Mathipa Phishego (InsideOutNews) North West businessman Suliman Carrim has once again failed to appear before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry, prompting evidence leaders to abandon their efforts to secure his testimony after months of postponements. Carrim was scheduled to appear before the commission on Friday, 14 August, after his evidence had been postponed several […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":135,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[74,29,73,75],"class_list":["post-134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-south-africa","tag-evidence-leaders","tag-madlanga-commission","tag-suliman-carrim","tag-testimony"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insideoutnews.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insideoutnews.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insideoutnews.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insideoutnews.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insideoutnews.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=134"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insideoutnews.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":137,"href":"https:\/\/insideoutnews.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/134\/revisions\/137"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insideoutnews.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/135"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insideoutnews.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insideoutnews.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insideoutnews.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}