The Madlanga commission on Tuesday questioned a series of payments that moved from businessman Vusimuzi ‘Cat’ Matlala to North West businessman Suliman Carrim before ultimately being transferred to Hangwani Maumela.
The inquiry heard that Matlala had instructed Carrim to transfer R750,000 to Maumela. Carrim told the commission that he initially transferred R500,000 and later paid the remaining R250,000.
This is in an exception of millions of rands that circulated between the trio.
Madlanga presses hard
Commission chair Mbuyiseli Madlanga questioned why the payment had to pass through Carrim instead of being made directly.
“I think you did not have an explanation for that yesterday, what was it?” Madlanga asked.
Carrim said Matlala had pressured him to make the payment on his behalf.
“I said he insisted. I said to him on numerous occasions that you can do it, you can pay him yourself why do you want me to pay this money? And he said he was under pressure,” Carrim told the commission.
Madlanga said this did not sufficiently explain the arrangement.
“That is not an explanation, it is an insistence,” Madlanga said.
“It seems to me that this gets complicated that Mr Maumela said to you that this man had to pay him and that you must pay him after you’ve been paid. Am I correct?”
Carrim agreed.
Madlanga pressed further, asking why Maumela had not approached Matlala directly.
“But why did Mr Maumela not ask Mr Matlala to pay him. Did you ask why must it be this circuitous? Do you have any idea why it had to be circuitous?” Madlanga asked.
Carrim said he had raised the issue repeatedly but claimed Matlala continued to pressure him, suggesting there was more money to come.
“At that point I was still asking him why can’t he pay him directly,” Carrim said.
He told the commission he suspected there was a reason he was being used as an intermediary.
Carrim’s suspicion piqued
“I just suspected that between the two of them why were they using me because he could have done the payment directly. Despite the suspicion I still made the payment to Mr. Maumela,” he said.
Evidence leader Jeremy Chaskalson challenged Carrim’s explanation, saying he found it difficult to accept that an experienced businessman would simply comply.
“Is that what your evidence is? Is your evidence that you paid Mr Maumela the R500,000 and the R250,000 principally because you were scared not to comply with what Mr Matlala was telling you to do,” Chaskalson asked.
“Yes, I was,” Carrim replied.
Chaskalson said he did not find Carrim’s explanation convincing.
Brown Mogotsi meeting
He also questioned Carrim about whether he had ever met with Brown Mogotsi and Maumela together.
Carrim denied that such a meeting had taken place.
However, Chaskalson told the commission that Mogotsi had contacted the evidence leaders on Monday and reported that a meeting had taken place between himself, Carrim and Maumela.
Madlanga said Carrim’s testimony will resume on April 16, 2026, this is to allow his legal team to consult and go through the documents that they claimed came in late.
Meanwhile, President Cyril Ramaphosa has extended the deadline for the commission from March 17 to August 31, 2026.
The commission is expected to submit a second interim report by May 29, 2026 and a final report on the completion of the inquiry, on August 31, 2026.
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