North West businessman Suliman Carrim advanced money to alleged tender kingpin Hangwani Morgan Maumela at the request of controversial businessman Vusimuzi Matlala.
Carrim said this while giving testimony at the Madlanga commission of inquiry on Monday.
Pressure to keep Cat happy
During his testimony, Carrim said that in early 2025, Matlala asked him to advance
R750 000 to Maumela, a controversial businessman implicated in the Tembisa hospital’s R2-billion looting, on his behalf.
He told the commission that he ultimately transferred R500 000 after Maumela instructed that the money be paid into the account of Luthaga Trading Enterprise.
Carrim said he agreed to make the payment because he felt pressured by Matlala amid media reports about the businessman and feared potential consequences if he refused.
“At the time I needed to keep Cat happy, that is what I was looking to do. I did not want to make the payment, but he insisted, so I thought if I do not make this payment, he might not pay me,” said Carrim.
According to Carrim, he was instructed by Maumela to send the money to Luthaga Trading Enterprises to pay off Matlala’s debt.
However, evidence presented before the commission showed that Carrim’s company, Ziggy, transferred more than R42-million to Luthaga Trading Enterprises between December 2023 and November 2024.
Partnership with Maumela
Carrim disputed any suggestion that the payments were improper, telling the commission that the transactions formed part of a business arrangement between himself and Maumela.
He said the two met in 2022 and later became friends before discussing a joint business venture through a company called Chrome Core. According to Carrim, the company did not have a bank account yet, so Maumela deposited his contribution into the account of Carrim’s company, Ziggy.
Carrim testified that Maumela invested R56-million into the venture, while he contributed R55-million.
He said the payments reflected in Ziggy’s bank statements were made when Maumela later asked for his investment to be returned, explaining that the businessman told him he needed the money to pay contractors who were building his home.
Carrim maintained that the transfers were legitimate repayments and unrelated to any alleged tender manipulation.
He revealed that he knew since 2021 when he was looking for a house in Johannesburg.
“We bought the house through an estate agent and I did not meet Mr Maumela at the time and in 2022 there were some issues with the house and he knew constructors, so he helped us with looking for people to repair the house. Through that we became friends,” he said.
When asked if he had business dealings with Maumela since they became friends, Carrim said they had deals that were supposed to happen.
“It was a mining operation deal,” he explained.
The commission is probing allegations of corruption and undue influence linked to procurement processes within the South African Police Service.
Carrim is accused of using his political connections to help Matlala secure a tender at the South African Police Service with his company Medicare24 Tshwane.
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