Judge breaks his silence over lengthy Rameez Patel murder trial

POLOKWANE – He started presiding over the Rameez Patel murder case in 2016, and despite threats to his life and several other inexplicable incidents, he plans to finalise the matter.

These were the stern words by judge Joseph Raulinga, who during Tuesday’s sitting in the Limpopo High Court, again addressed the matter of a considerable number of delays in the case.

Patel is standing trial for the killing of his first wife in 2015, after the murder charge in his mother’s death was provisionally withdrawn in 2021 due to a lack of evidence.

She was shot and killed with her domestic worker present, in 2017.

Although never linked to these incidents, Patel’s father was shot and killed in a robbery, and his brother survived an attempt on his life in Mankweng.

In 2019, Patel brought an application for leave to have him discharged in his wife’s murder case, but this was dismissed.

At the time, Raulinga said the application had no merit and was a “fishing expedition” aimed at derailing proceedings.

On Tuesday, Raulinga dismissed two applications brought by the defence: firstly, to have Patel’s bail conditions relaxed, and secondly, to bring his brother, Razeen back as a witness for the defence after he had already been questioned as a state witness.

Read more: Judge dismisses two more Rameez Patel applications

The judge, responding to the defence’s request to appeal the ruling, remarked that the “back-and-forth” manner in the case is beginning to bear psychologically taxing and traumatic consequences on many involved. “The photos of Fatima’s body have had a psychological effect. Next month, I will have been working in courts for 50 years and I have presided over many evil cases. This is traumatic.”

Tuesday was not the first time Raulinga raised the matter of what he earlier described as delay tactics, a discontentment the prosecutor in the case concurred with.

Read more: Yet another delay in Rameez Patel’s murder trial

Besides the numerous postponements during the Covid-19 lockdown due to the absence of key roleplayers and load-shedding that resulted in adjournments, he also referred to the matter of legal representation that changed at the start of the case, the issue of his notes and recordings having been tampered with or deleted, a statement by Razeen as state witness that had not been transcribed despite several rulings and statements that had gone missing.

In 2019, it emerged that the defence was in possession of transcribed court records which the state didn’t have, which should have been in safe-keeping in his office.

“I have run into matters even more aggravating than these, for years,” he said.

Raulinga said it was the only criminal case dating back to 2016, in the Limpopo High Court that he is still presiding over. In what he termed as a breaking the silence moment, Raulinga outlined what he has personally had to endure while presiding over the case.

Among these incidents is a house-breaking, being threatened with a firearm, a civilian gaining access to his chambers, and having to request police protection, which initially fell on deaf ears.

“I was only recently assisted with this request, which was made to the police in Gauteng and Limpopo.”

He said he was, however, not implying that these incidents could be linked to this particular case, but that he had reason to be concerned.

Despite all these, he maintained that he hopes to finalise the case, adding “if I’m still alive at the time”.

Patel’s bail was extended and the case will continue in August 1-2.