Patel murder trial postponed to November
The court will hear further evidence after the defense team requested that the court provide experts to help scrutinise the postmortem report.
POLOKWANE – The Polokwane High Court will hear further evidence from a medical expert again on November 1 in the case of murder accused Rameez Patel.
The trial was delayed on September 23 for professor Terrence Kommal, a former member of the South African Presidential Medical Team to gather some more information surrounding the cause of Patel’s wife’s death, Fatima.
She was found dead at their Nirvana home in October 2015.
Kommal was cross-examined by the defense lawyer, senior advocate Mohammed Khan.
Taking the stand, he gave an expert view on the forensic pathology report by state pathologist Dr Thakadu Mamashela.
The defense team then requested the court to provide experts who could help scrutinise the postmortem report as Mamashela had not stated whether the victim was potentially killed through strangulation, blunt force trauma or gunshot, the court heard.
When judge Joseph Raulinga questioned the defense team about the purpose of Kommal’s testimony, Khan said that it would conclusively prove that the victim had been strangled.
