North West businessman Suliman Carrim testified at the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry about his business relationships with Vusimuzi Matlala and Hangwani Maumela, both linked to the Tembisa hospital scandal.
Image: Oupa Mokoena/Independent Newspapers
North West businessman Suliman Carrim has defended his business dealings with alleged crime kingpin Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala and businessman Hangwani Morgan Maumela, both implicated in the Tembisa hospital tender scandal, saying he believed funds from the pair passing through his business accounts were legitimate business transactions.
This occurred during his testimony before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Monday, where he revealed that he provided R10 million funding to Matlala's Medicare24 company and struck a mining deal with Maumela.
That was after Matlala had approached him for financial help, citing cash flow issues following the award of a R360-million SAPS tender in 2024.
Carrim told the commission that Matlala was "evasive" about repaying him, but he eventually paid R1.75 million by mid-March 2025.
Surprisingly, Matlala asked him to pay at least R750,000 of that amount to Maumela, which Carrim refused.
He eventually agreed to pay R500,000 to Luthagha Trading Enterprise, allegedly linked to Maumela's sister, after Maumela claimed he controlled the account.
He testified that he paid Maumela at Matlala's request because he "wanted to keep Matlala happy as I thought if I didn't do that he would not make payments".
Evidence leader Advocate Mathew Chaskalson SC put it to him that he never needed to pay Maumela anything at that time.
Carrim responded: "At that time I needed to keep him happy to make sure that on the next payment I get another payment. That was what I was looking to do. Keep Mr Matlala happy. Pacify him. I didn't want to make the payment but he insisted... I thought if I didn't make this payment I might not get payment on the next one."
The commission heard that this was not Carrim's first payment to Luthagha, he had paid the company over R42m between December 2023 and November 2024 through his company, Ziggy Investment.
He also paid Luthagha over R3m between August 2024 and March 2025 through his company Tameez.
Carrim testified that his friendship with Maumela began in 2022 when he purchased a house from him through an estate agency.
In 2023, Carrim discussed a potential mining project with Maumela, who expressed keen interest in participating.
"I then presented a business proposal to him. We needed to raise money because mining is cash intensive. We then agreed to each raise R50 million and R5 million capital," he said.
Maumela did not immediately have cash available and promised to sell an asset to raise funds.
Carrim said Maumela raised R56 million which was transferred to Ziggy's account from Maumela's lawyer's trust account.
Maumela later told Carrim he was having issues with his current house, incurring penalties and losing R1m monthly, and asked for a refund of the R56m.
"For me it was a slap in the face because I had committed that I needed to move the project," he said.
Carrim testified that he subsequently learnt about Maumela's issues with Sars, saying: "It was around March 2024...I saw some stuff in the media, the preservation order."
Chaskalson suggested that the payments were made to circumvent a SARS preservation order against Maumela.
His line of questioning linking Carrim to corruption and fraud related to tenders was earlier objected to by Carrim's lawyer.
But Chaskalson said: "We are interested in the relationship between Matlala, Maumela and Carrim. We are interested in how the proceeds of crime move around between those witnesses. We know that Matlala has influence over certain people within SAPS. We know that Matlala and Maumela have been involved in widespread tender fraud and corruption at the Tembisa hospital alongside what we see in this case."
He said the commission was entitled to investigate whether what "we are looking at here is a syndicate engaged in widespread tender fraud and also exercising influence on the members of the SAPS".
Chaskalson stated that if the contract was obtained through fraud and corruption, the proceeds from the SAPS Medicare24 contract would be considered proceeds of crime, triggering Section 5 of the Prevention of Organised Crime Act (POCA).
He explained that according to Section 5 a person commits a money-laundering offence by proceeding with the deal while knowing it resulted from the proceeds of crime.
"One of the many issues which this commission is going to have to consider is whether to recommend money-laundering prosecution under Section 5 of POCA against either yourself, Matlala or Maumela arising from the payments sent to Luthagha by Tameez," Chaskalson said.
Carrim said:" I had not done this with any intention of committing any fraud. I just got caught in a web of people. I was just doing my business as a businessman. I looked at the opportunities and I saw these opportunities. I took them.
"Yes, obviously I made a bad choice after. But, at no point did I ever want to be part of or promote any of these that you are raising. For me these were business transactions. I went into business. I thought I was doing it with honorable people. Maybe it was not the case. But at no point did I ever want to be part of the wrong that was happening."
Carrim's testimony will resume on Tuesday.