By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
North-West businessman Suliman Carrim bail application has been postponed to the 28 October 2026 after spending the weekend at the Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Facility in Tshwane.
Carrim appeared before the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 19 October 2026.
He 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.
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.
He faces a charge of contravening the Commission’s Act, for his failure to appear before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry.
The State is opposing his release on bail, arguing that he could evade trial or commit further offences if released.
State prosecutor Donald Shiko argued that Carrim had failed to appear before the commission when he was not in custody, suggesting that he had no intention of returning to continue his testimony.
“It is with the greatest respect that the State submits that there is a plain likelihood that the applicant will evade trial. And as such, the State submits that bail should be denied and the applicant be remitted back into custody until the finalisation of the proceedings,” Shiko said.
Although the State verified Carrim’s residential address and confirmed the authenticity of his return ticket, it maintained its opposition to his release.
Shiko told the court that Carrim’s answers shifted when his version was tested during cross-examination.
“This also, I submit, shows that the applicant was changing his evidence to suit his version. I put to him that I would argue that he was changing his version and tailoring it in cross-examination,” Shiko said.
Much of the State’s case centres around Carrim’s conduct before his arrest, with Shiko arguing that he knew he was expected to report his movements but failed to disclose his planned trip.
Carrim’s lawyer, Dawie Joubert SC, rejected the State’s argument that his client had deliberately failed to report his travel plans, saying prosecutors had failed to show that.
Carrim was ever clearly instructed to personally inform an investigating officer before leaving the country.
Joubert said the State could not establish when the instruction was given, who gave it or which officer Carrim was expected to contact, describing the issue as a “grey area”.
“The mere fact that he knew that there’s a possible charge pending against him, it doesn’t place on him any obligation of any sort that he may inform an investigating officer, who he didn’t know, that he plans to go on a trip and would return,” Joubert argued.
Joubert also disputed the state’s claim that Carrim would interfere with the justice system or abscond.
He urged the court to release Carrim on bail subject to conditions that would ensure his compliance.
Magistrate John Curlewis postponed the bail judgment to Wednesday, 28 October 2026, after the State argued that Carrim tailored parts of his testimony when questioned about his health, his planned trip to Pakistan and his failure to personally inform authorities that he intended to leave the country.