By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry has reserved judgment in the postponement application brought by the controversial North-West businessman Suliman Carrim, with the ruling to be delivered on a date yet to be announced.
During Friday’s proceedings, it emerged that earlier this month, Carrim had been at a mall around Durbanville, in Cape Town’s northern suburbs, where he went into a Woolworths store and a Kauai eatery.
Carrim had previously indicated to the commission that he was medically unfit to continue testifying before it as a witness.
Details of his medical condition have not been divulged.
Carrim also indicated that he wanted to apply to postpone his testimony at the commission, and he wanted this application to be heard in camera.
But the Commission rejected Carrim’s application for in-camera proceedings for the second time.
The first application was denied in March. This saw him testify in an open session.
The commission’s ruling follows revelations that Carrim failed to attend a scheduled testimony last week due to claims of ill health.
Evidence leader advocate Adila Hassim SC said that Carrim was requesting a fifth postponement.
She said the commission should consider granting him a postponement – the date of 14 August 2026 was flagged – but with conditions, including that independent medical evidence on his condition be obtained.
Hassim brought up Carrim’s movements in Cape Town.
She explained to the commission that she was referencing his mall visit, not to disprove any (medical) diagnosis about him, but to illustrate his “day-to-day functioning capacity”.
Carrim’s advocate, Kameel Premhid, argued that the CCTV (showing Carrim at the Durbanville mall) should not be shown publicly because it was “unnecessary” and “not appropriate”.
Although August 14 had previously been suggested as a possible return date, Premhid told the commission that Carrim is now seeking an indefinite postponement.
Premhid submitted that Carrim’s condition was “dynamic” and subject to change.
“What the treating doctor says is that the position of my client is dynamic and it is subject to change, and that’s why one of the things that the treating doctor himself proposes is to account to the commission under oath once every two weeks to update the commission regarding the client’s position and whether he can or cannot testify,” Premhid said.
He also asked the commission to issue directives protecting sensitive information contained in the court record, including the identity of the medical facility treating Carrim, his medical records and mobile phone geolocation data.
He said Carrim would need to be consulted before agreeing to an independent medical examination but indicated there was no objection in principle if suitable arrangements could be made.
Commission chair Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga pointed out that if Carrim kept launching the postponement applications based on his medical condition (as per his medical practitioner), it suggested he may never testify.
Madlanga also criticised Carrim’s continued failure to provide information previously requested by the commission relating to his businesses.
The Commission is expected to resume on Monday when embattled Investigating Directorate Against Corruption head Andrea Johnson is set to continue testifying.