Patel’s murder case postponed so he can mourn the death of his mother
The trial will continue on 2 October through to 5 October.
POLOKWANE – Judge Joseph Raulinga on Tuesday offered his condolences to Rameez Patel, who stands accused of murdering his wife Fatima, on the death of his mother last week.
He, however, said he will not postpone the trial for longer than a week and the trial will continue on 2 October through to 5 October.
Raulinga said the matter has become a high profile matter and he cannot allow for a month’s postponement, as everybody now wants to see the trial come to an end.
Patel’s mother was shot in her house in Nirvana last Tuesday evening by an unknown assailant and died in hospital later that evening from her injuries.
Read more: Mother of murder accused, Rameez Patel, shot and killed in Nirvana
She was responsible for taking care of Patel’s children after his wife was murdered in April 2015.
Read more: ‘I didn’t kill my wife’ – Rameez Patel
Patel’s legal representative, Tumi Mokoena, said he was unable to consult with his client last week.
In light of this Patel told him the police confiscated him and his brother’s cell phones after the death of their mother, for investigation.
Patel managed to contact Mokoena after he borrowed one of his uncles’ phones.
Patel said he had to make arrangements for his two sons, aged 10 and six to see a psychologist after they found their grandmother lying in a pool of blood after the incident.
He added they were taken to live with their maternal grandmother in Pretoria after the incident as he had to make arrangements for his mother’s funeral.
Raulinga said he sympathised with the situation but added he would not allow any further postponements and ruled Patel was fit to stand trial.
This ruling comes after the State requested an assessment from both a psychiatrist and a psychologist when the Mokoena asked for a postponement due to the mental health of his client earlier this year.
Read more: Patel’s mental state deliberated in court
The court also heard Razeem Patel, younger brother of Rameez, was not fit to conduct business meetings as he was never involved in the running of the business.
A request by Mokoena that Patel’s bail restrictions be relaxed and he be allowed to leave the province and travel for business reasons, was refused.
