Patel – court hears more evidence­

While galleries at Polokwa­ne Magistrate’s Court and the Limpopo High Court were packed since Monday following the arrest of Rameez Patel on Friday for allegedly killing his mother Mahjebeen about two weeks ago, questions to his father’s killing during an armed robbery about 13 months ago might soon be answered.
The recent happenings saw Patel being arrested on Friday in connection with the alleged killing of his mother. He appeared in Polokwane Magistrate’s Court on Monday on a second charge of murder before being escorted to the High Court where he is standing trial for the alleged murder of his wife Fatima in April 2015.
The trial was postponed to Tuesday after defence attorney Tumi Mokwena asked for time to consult with his client as it had been impossible since Patel had been taken into custody.
High Court Judge Joseph Raulin­ga was at the time of going to print yesterday (Wednesday) expected to rule in an application by State Prosecutor Mashudu Mudau to submit statements from two former employees of Patel as hearsay evidence.
Mudau indicated that new evidence had emerged since Patel’s arrest – statements by his brother, Razeen and someone only referred to as Thabo for security reasons.
Mokwena opposed the application and said the reliability of the statements should first be determined after which Raulinga asked why the Police would allow a witness to leave the country. Mudau answered that Razeen was not willing to be part of the witness protection programme and indicated that he would be safer outside the country. Mudau provisionally withdrew the two statements and will only continue with the submission of the statements of the two former employees.
Provincial Police Spokesperson Moatshe Ngoepe responded to comment in the media last week regarding the solving of the murder on Patel’s father in August last year saying that it will be solved soon.

Story: RC Myburgh
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