POLOKWANE – When she fell after he repeatedly hit her, he strangled her. This was according to hearsay evidence provisionally admitted in court by Judge Joseph Raulinga, who said it would be in the interest of justice to allow the evidence following a two-and-a-half day trial-within-a-trial.
Council for the defence, Tumi Mokoena, fiercely opposed it.
Two statements by the Patels’ former domestic worker, Sibongile Ngwenya, who fled the country with another witness, Danford Gundiza after refusing to become part of the witness protection programme citing an insufficient stipend paid to her, were heard in court delivered by the police officials who took the statements under oath, read it back to her and was duly officiated and stamped by a commissioner of oaths.
In the first statement Ngwenya stated under oath about fights the Patel couple had. She also stated the Patel couple only had one key for the flat, corroborating earlier evidence given in court. She also told the court about a gun in Patel’s possession, while he earlier said he did not own a gun. She supplied details about what happened on the day of the murder and how she and the children were taken to Patel’s workplace after a fight between the couple. She also said Patel changed his clothes three times that day.
When returning later the day with Patel she found the flat’s door open and saw blood in the kitchen. She called Patel, who found his wife’s body and started to scream. The domestic worker was taken to Patel’s parents’ house with the children.
In the second statement Ngwenya stated she was at the parents’ house in a corridor leading from the lounge when she heard Patel telling friends how he hit Fatima repeatedly with a cricket bat to silence her and when she fell, how he strangled her. Becoming aware that Sinbongile was in the passage, Patel told his friends: “Game’s over, will tell you tomorrow what happened”.
A former worker at Patel’s shop also told about what happened the day of the murder in his statement, about Rameez and Razeem’s movement with different vehicles to and from the flat and changes in Rameez’s***** clothing. He said Sibongile later the evening phoned him to say Fatima was dead.
The case is to continue today with another witness to testify for the state.
No firearm had been recovered from the accused since his arrest in 2015. He has vehemently denied possession of any firearm.
According to State Prosecutor, Mashudu Mudau, there was consistent and clear corroboration of evidence given by Ngwenya and Gundiza.
It was earlier alleged that Patel killed his wife, hid his bloodied clothes and claimed the attack was committed during a house robbery and that he was not present at the time of her murder.
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