By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The controversial businessman Suliman Carrim will spend the weekend behind bars as his bail hearing is postponed to Monday, 19 October 2026, for the address verification.
Carrim made his first appearance in the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court on Friday on a charge of contravening the Commission’s Act, for his failure to appear before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.
The 49-year-old was arrested on Thursday night while with his wife, before boarding an international flight to Dubai.
Carrim took the witness stand on Friday, 16 October, when his legal team sought to convince the court to release him on bail after he was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport, where he was preparing to leave South Africa.
Earlier on Friday, national police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe told journalists that Carrim had been flagged by the police’s cold case unit in connection with separate fraud and corruption allegations involving Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality in North West, which are still under investigation.
It was established in court that Carrim was travelling to Saudi Arabia via Dubai, where he said he intended to undertake a religious pilgrimage. He would continue to Pakistan, where he planned to distribute snacks, including sweets and biscuits, to children.
The court heard through investigating officer Captain Jimmy Kubayi that Carrim was travelling with five “voluminous” bags of luggage when he was arrested. Questions were also raised about whether he had a return ticket and intended to come back to South Africa.
Carrim told the court there was nothing unusual about the journey, saying he had been making similar trips for years.
“I have been doing this trip for the last 16 years,” he said.
The first leg of his journey to Saudi Arabia was for “spiritual upliftment”, he said, after which he intended to travel to Pakistan to distribute sweets, biscuits and other snacks. These accounted for about 70% of the contents of his luggage.
Carrim told the court his doctor had “encouraged” him to proceed with the trip because travelling was likely to help him “feel better” as he battled a heart condition, anxiety and other health problems.
State prosecutor Donald Shiko pushed back, questioning why his doctor would encourage him to undertake an international trip when his health had previously prevented him from returning to the Madlanga Commission and being subjected to further questioning.
“I’m not well. Even my doctors advised me not to be cross-examined,” Carrim told the court.
His legal representative, Hendrik Potgieter, placed Carrim’s health at the centre of the bail application, telling the court that he suffered from anxiety and a heart condition. Potgieter argued that the stress associated with his detention and the court proceedings could trigger a panic attack.
Carrim will be remanded at Kgosi Mampuru Prison, the same facility where former SAPS deputy Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya and underworld kingpin Vusimuzi Cat Matlala are also being held.
Investigators told the court that a single cell had been arranged for Carrim. He is expected to return to court on Monday for his bail application.