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Health
Suliman Carrim says doctor encouraged Dubai trip
Businessman and former ANC North West treasurer Suliman Carrim has defended his planned trip abroad, telling the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court that his doctor encouraged him to travel for spiritual and health reasons while he was struggling with fear, anxiety and panic attacks.
Carrim made the remarks during bail proceedings on Friday, 16 October 2026, a day after he was arrested at OR Tambo International Airport while preparing to leave South Africa for Dubai.
He faces a charge of contravening the Commissions Act following his repeated failure to return to the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry to complete his testimony. The state has questioned his travel plans and raised concerns that he could evade further court proceedings if released on bail.
‘My doctor encouraged me to go’
Taking the witness stand, Carrim said his planned journey was intended to help him recover emotionally and spiritually.
“I was going to the pilgrimage, my doctor encouraged me to go. But I was not going there alone, I had my medication and I was with my wife. He said the trip will make me better because I’ve been living in fear,” he told the court.
Carrim said he had been making similar journeys for years and intended to travel to Saudi Arabia for a religious pilgrimage via Dubai before proceeding to Pakistan, where he said he planned to undertake humanitarian work.
He maintained that his health problems, which he said included blackouts and panic attacks, had affected his ability to participate in the commission’s proceedings.
However, state prosecutor Advocate Donald Shiko challenged his explanation, questioning why his doctor would allegedly encourage international travel but not his return to the commission.
“So, your doctor encouraged you to go on this trip, but he didn’t encourage you to go to the commission?” Shiko asked.
“That’s not what I said. I said he encouraged me to go so I can feel better. I have a condition, I black out and get panic attacks and the commission is aware of this,” Carrim responded.
State raises flight risk concerns
The state opposed Carrim’s release without further verification of information presented during the bail application, including his residential address and travel documents.
The investigating officer reportedly raised concerns about Carrim’s luggage and whether he had a return ticket when he was arrested.
Shiko argued that the circumstances surrounding the arrest suggested Carrim might not have intended to return to South Africa.
“When he was arrested, the complainant did not have a return ticket and he had a lot of bags with him, showing that he had no intentions of coming back,” Shiko told the court.
Carrim disputed the suggestion that he planned to remain abroad. He explained that some of the luggage contained sweets and biscuits for his intended humanitarian activities and insisted that he had planned to return home.
He also maintained that he had undertaken similar trips for approximately 16 years and had always returned to South Africa. His legal team disputed the state’s account of the return ticket, saying the matter needed to be verified.
The state further raised concerns about Carrim’s residential address, telling the court that he was linked to properties in Johannesburg, Cape Town and North West. Prosecutors argued that confirming his address was important when assessing whether he would comply with bail conditions.
Carrim denies previous arrests
During proceedings, the state also referred to previous cases recorded against Carrim by the South African Police Service, saying those matters had been withdrawn.
Shiko said the circumstances surrounding the withdrawals needed to be revisited.
Carrim denied having previously been arrested and said he was unaware of the cases mentioned in court.
“I am not a criminal, I’ve never been arrested. This is the first time I’ve been arrested. It’s the first time I’m hearing that there were cases against me that were withdrawn,” he said.
He also maintained that he had been medically unfit to continue testifying before the Madlanga Commission and claimed he had offered to have his doctor explain his condition to the inquiry.
“If I was fit I would have appeared, all the documents speaking to my health are before the commission. I even offered that my doctor appears to explain my condition but they refused,” Carrim told the court.
Why Carrim is wanted by the Madlanga Commission
Carrim became a person of interest to the Madlanga Commission in October 2025 and was subpoenaed the following month to testify and provide relevant documents.
He appeared before the inquiry on 9 and 10 March 2026 but subsequently failed to return for further hearings scheduled for April, June and July, citing medical reasons.
On 14 August, he also failed to comply with an order requiring him to appear in person or undergo an independent medical assessment.
His evidence is relevant to allegations involving businessman Vusimuzi “Cat” Matlala and his company, Medicare24, which was awarded a South African Police Service contract worth approximately R360 million before it was cancelled.
Carrim has been accused of helping Matlala secure payments linked to the contract and acting as an intermediary between Matlala and suspended Police Minister Senzo Mchunu.
Carrim has disputed the allegations, previously explaining that a R1.5 million payment from Matlala was connected to his investment in Medicare24. The allegations remain distinct from the charge he currently faces in connection with his failure to comply with the commission’s requirements.
Bail proceedings postponed
Carrim told the court that he is a businessman who earns approximately R200,000 a month. He also gave details of his family circumstances during the bail application.
The court postponed the matter to Monday, 19 October 2026, to allow the state to verify documents and information submitted during the proceedings.
Carrim will remain in custody at Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Centre until his next court appearance.
Economy
The Scorpion Kings’ burgers are all sold out, but the Scorpion Kings Live are back tonight on SABC 1
Before DJ Maphorisa and Kabza De Small were filling FNB Stadium with Amapiano, there was the hustle – and for Maphorisa, part of that hustle involved food.
Long before the Scorpion Kings name became synonymous with some of South Africa’s biggest musical moments, Maphorisa was finding different ways to make money while pursuing his music career.
“I used to deejay on weekends and I opened a tuck-shop at home just to have a cash flow and at school I used to sell sweets and lollipops,” Maphorisa said.
He explained that the money helped him save for his first car and travel between Pretoria and Johannesburg while working towards his music career.
So, years later, seeing the producer put his name to a burger collaboration feels like a rather delicious full-circle moment.
The Scorpion Kings – Maphorisa and Kabza De Small – teamed up with RocoMamas in September for the limited-edition King’s Feast, a menu inspired by their personalities, their music and plenty of South African flavour.
The collaboration ran until 30 September, meaning the burgers have now officially left the menu – but having tasted them, there is plenty to talk about.
Madumane Double – big, saucy and properly Mzansi
The DJ Maphorisa-inspired Madumane Double did not arrive quietly.
The burger featured a 200g double beef smash, chakalaka, chorizo and cheese, all packed into a brioche bun. RocoMamas positioned it as the “main drop” of the collaboration.
The first bite was very much about the beef, but then the chakalaka came through with that familiar South African kick.
Spicy, savoury and gloriously messy, it was the sort of burger that requires you to abandon any plans of eating neatly.
And there was something particularly kasi about that combination.
Chakalaka was not there as a gimmick. It gave the burger a distinctly South African personality, taking the familiar smashburger format and throwing in a flavour many Mzansi households know very well.
RocoMamas described the collaboration as burgers built by the two artists “the way they build a track – layer on layer until it hits.”
That description actually makes sense.
Papta Sting brings the heat
Then came Kabza De Small’s Papta Sting – and this one was for the spice chaser.
The burger combined southern-fried chicken with atchar and jalapeños on a brioche bun. RocoMamas summed it up neatly: “Sweet on the way in, sting on the way out.”
And that is pretty much the assignment.
The chicken brings the crunch, the atchar delivers that sweet-sour South African flavour, and then the jalapeño arrives with a little extra attitude.
It is the kind of burger that makes you pause after the first bite and ask yourself whether you really want another one.
Naturally, you do.
Kabza’s association with the burger also made sense because the collaboration was built around flavours that feel familiar to South African palates rather than trying too hard to reinvent the wheel.
It tasted like the kasi – with a RocoMamas twist
The King’s Feast was at its most interesting when it leaned into flavours that South Africans already know.
Chakalaka. Atchar. Pap balls. Big portions. Messy eating. Food made for sharing.
RocoMamas itself described the campaign as being inspired by the “grootmans of the yanos”, while its promotional material leaned heavily into the idea of bringing South African flavour to the menu.
That made the collaboration feel like more than simply putting two famous names on burgers.
Amapiano has always been closely connected to place, community, language, fashion, dance and everyday South African life. The King’s Feast borrowed from that same cultural vocabulary and put it on a plate.
And yes, chakalaka on a burger works.
There, we said it.
The timing was perfect
The RocoMamas collaboration formed part of the build-up to Scorpion Kings Live at FNB Stadium on 19 September.
RocoMamas was an official activation partner for the massive concert, alongside brands including SABC1, which was the official broadcast partner.
The King’s Feast was available throughout September before ending on 30 September.
So if you were planning to rush to RocoMamas today for a Madumane Double or Papta Sting, unfortunately, you have missed the boat – or in this case, the burger.
But there is another Scorpion Kings moment waiting tonight.
From the burger to the big screen
Scorpion Kings Live is making its television debut on SABC1 today, Saturday, 3 October, at 20:00.
The concert, which was staged at FNB Stadium on 19 September, will be broadcast for the first time on television, with a simultaneous broadcast on SABC Plus. SABC1 confirmed the broadcast as part of its partnership with the event.
For viewers who were not inside FNB Stadium, tonight is the chance to experience the scale of the show from home.
SABC Video Entertainment Marketing Manager Dichaba Phalatse described the concert as “more than a concert” and “a defining South African cultural moment”, saying SABC1 wanted to bring the energy of FNB Stadium to audiences across the country.
The Scorpion Kings themselves said: “Scorpion Kings Live was too special to be experienced for one night only.”
They added: “Now, for the first time, people across South Africa can relive that experience from wherever they are.”
And that is where the RocoMamas collaboration comes full circle.
The burgers may have disappeared from the menu, but the music is still very much on.
So, what was the foodie verdict?
The Madumane Double was the heavyweight – beefy, saucy, cheesy and carrying enough chakalaka to remind you that this was never meant to be just another burger.
The Papta Sting was the cheekier one – crispy chicken, atchar and jalapeño bringing the sweet-and-sting combination promised in the name.
Neither needed to pretend to be fine dining.
They were burgers.
Big, messy, youthful burgers with a distinctly South African accent.
And perhaps that was the point.
Maphorisa went from selling sweets and running a tuck shop to becoming one of the biggest names in Amapiano. Now his name has been attached to a burger loaded with chakalaka.
Not a bad journey.
The King’s Feast may have left RocoMamas on 30 September, but the Scorpion Kings are back on screen tonight.
So get your snacks sorted, turn up the volume and settle in for FNB Stadium from your sofa.
Just don’t blame us if watching Kabza and Maphorisa perform makes you hungry.
That part is on you.
