The Madlanga Commission of Inquiry will rule on Monday on whether ANC member and North West businessman Suliman Carrim will testify in-camera due to death threats he has received.
Image: Kamogelo Moichela / IOL News
Retired Constitutional Court Justice Mbuyiseli Madlanga is expected to rule on Monday on whether North West businessman and ANC member Suliman Carrim will give his testimony in-camera due to death threats he has received.
After a day of arguments at the Madlanga Judicial Commission of Inquiry between Carrim’s advocate Kameel Premhid and evidence leader Adila Cassim SC, as well as commission Chairperson Justice Madlanga, commissioners Sesi Baloyi SC and Sandile Khumalo SC, the matter was stood down until the ruling on Monday morning.
Premhid faced a torrid time trying to justify the reasons for his client’s request to testify in-camera due to safety concerns, as the commission believes he is known in public, as his face has appeared on television and print news reports.
Carrim’s advocate had also wanted the preliminary points to be argued in-camera without details being beamed live on television and streamed on various platforms.
Premhid argued before the commission that unknown people were threatening Carrim, his family, employees, and business interests, and that the matter had been reported to the South African Police Service (SAPS).
He said Carrim would like to testify without the public and some commission staff having access to his statement.
Premhid also listed staff members such as the commission’s head of security and investigators, whom he wanted not to have access to his statement.
Justice Madlanga ruled on Friday that Carrim’s application must be heard publicly and that he would provide the reasons on Monday.
Carrim’s evidence is set down to be heard on Monday and Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, Premhid argued that Carrim did not want the statement made public and asked for a confidentiality regime like the one awarded in court proceedings, where participating parties are only given access to some parts of the record.
“On the facts of this case, there is a threat to the right to life, security, integrity, family, and commercial interests of the witness.
“This is a body that exercises public power in the name of the state, so this commission is bound by the same obligations that the state has to make sure that when issues of safety are raised, it properly applies its mind and discharges its power in accordance with that,” he added.
Suspended SAPS national organised crime head Major-General Robert Shibiri also told the commission this week about his relationship with controversial attempted murder accused businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala, who has been repeatedly linked to underworld networks.
Shibiri testified that he received a personal loan from Matlala, but maintained that the money, which is reported to have been R80,000, had been repaid in full.
He denied that the money he received from Matlala was bribe money and insisted that it was a loan, which he repaid.
A police officer, only identified as Witness C at the commission and who is part of the Political Killings Task Team, has given evidence that Shibiri was on Matlala’s payroll.
Another cop named Witness B has told the inquiry that they learnt with shock that Shibiri was providing Matlala with information on how to counter the police investigation into Vereeniging engineer Armand Swart's murder in April 2024.
“That made me question everything, question myself, (whether) I would be safe to discuss certain details of investigations (if that information was being leaked).
“Our leaders are supposed to guide us,” Witness B said about her reaction to uncovering that Shibiri was providing Matlala with information.
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