Warrant of arrest issued after Patel fails to appear in court
Rameez Patel was set to appear in the Limpopo Division of the High Court in Polokwane for the murder trial of his wife Fatima.
POLOKWANE – A warrant of arrest for Rameez Patel was issued by Judge President Ephraim Makgoba in the Limpopo Division of the High Court in Polokwane this morning (January 4).
Patel stands accused of the murder of his wife Fatima in April 2015.
Read more: ‘Soaked’ jacket handed to cops only 5 days after murder
Patel did not appear in court this morning, but the lawyer for the defence, advocate Meshack Thipe, handed in a doctor’s certificate stating that Patel tested positive for Covid-19.
The state, however, requested another test to be done today (January 4) at the Pietersburg Provincial Hospital.
The request was granted by Makgoba, who said the warrant should be stayed until Friday (January 7), when the test results should be handed in at the court.
Fatima’s murder trial is scheduled for January 4-14, and the defence indicated in December 2021 that they still want to bring two witnesses before court.
The murder case has been postponed numerous times in the last six years, while the case where Patel stood accused of murdering his mother, Mahejeen, was taken off the roll in August 2021 because the state could not produce key witnesses.
Read more: Patel off the hook in mom’s murder case
Patel’s brother, Razeen, has also changed his version of his initial testimony in which he testified against his brother. Rameez previously testified that his brother was forced by the police to turn against him.
Read more: Patel: My brother was forced to testify against me
