President Cyril Ramaphosa has ordered the Special Investigating Unit to probe multimillion-rand North West government transport tenders awarded to businessman Suliman Carrim, scrutinizing money flows tied to the late taxi boss Jotham Msibi and the affairs of the troubled North West Transport Investment entity.
The intervention places fresh legal pressure on Carrim, whose business dealings have drawn intense scrutiny from both executive authorities and public inquiries. The state’s latest move targets the awarding of a R168 million contract issued by the North West Department of Community Safety and Transport Management to a joint venture involving Carrim’s Transnat Coach Lines and Ziggy Investments.
Ties to Late Taxi Boss and Financial Flows Under Scrutiny
Investigators will examine financial transactions between Carrim’s joint venture and Jotham King Mswazi
Msibi, a prominent taxi figure who died in January 2024 and was once accused of operating at the center of the country’s underworld. The transport contracts involved subsidised bus transport arrangements spanning Gauteng and the North West region.
Evidence presented to the Madlanga Commission by evidence leader Matthew Chaskalson detailed how the joint venture maintained active business ties with Msibi. Communications logs reviewed during the inquiry revealed that Msibi forwarded specific business details of the joint venture to Makhosini Msibi, the chief executive officer of the Road Traffic Management Corporation.
The inquiry also tracked specific financial disbursements tied to the partnership. According to documentation presented at the corruption inquiry, one payment totaled R700,000 from Transnat Coach Lines directed to the taxi federation Santaco, while messaging records indicated another R300,000 remained outstanding. Carrim’s financial network has also been linked in related inquiries to Vusimuzi Cat
Matlala and Hangwani Maumela.
Troubled North West Transport Investment Enters the Crosshairs
The presidential proclamation extends far beyond the initial contract, directing investigators to probe the broader affairs of the North West Transport Investment, the entity that issued the disputed tenders. The organization applied for voluntary business rescue in July 2022.
Hendrick Samons was originally appointed as the business rescue practitioner for the entity. However, following a Gauteng High Court ruling secured by the provincial transport department, Samons was removed and replaced by Mahomed Mahier Tayob.
The Special Investigating Unit holds explicit authorization to examine whether any administrative failures or illegal acts occurred during this turbulent period. The mandate covers potential misconduct through the unlawful or improper conduct of the business rescue practitioner appointed on July 21 2022 or any other person or entity to unduly benefit themselves or others, including the causes of such serious maladministration and any losses, damages, or prejudice actually or potentially suffered by the NTI
.
Mounting Legal Peril and Commission Conflict
For Carrim, the presidential proclamation compounds an already severe legal crisis. He faces active criminal charges opened by the Madlanga Commission after repeatedly failing to attend scheduled hearings and declining to undergo an independent medical examination.
While Carrim cited a severe heart attack and a medical collapse at a gym to explain his absence, commission officials countered that whistleblower reports and closed-circuit television footage showed him shopping and dining for extended periods in Cape Town. Investigators had intended to question him regarding millions of rands in undisclosed payments made to a company connected to Vusimusi Matlala, who itself faces charges related to a separate R360 million South African Police Service health tender.
Legislative Oversight and Recovery Objectives
Provincial lawmakers have welcomed the executive order, arguing it supplies the necessary statutory teeth to reclaim public funds. Freddy Sonakile, chair of the North West portfolio committee on community safety and transport management, emphasized that oversight will remain intense as investigators trace the missing money.
Sonakile noted that the ongoing probe runs parallel to separate matters already referred to the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, commonly known as the Hawks. Lawmakers insist that the ultimate goal remains the preservation of state assets and the restoration of functional public transport infrastructure for regional commuters.
