Friday, November 28, 2025 - Rameez Patel, the Limpopo businessman who shot his wife, Fatima Patel, in the face and tried to blame imaginary intruders, has finally been found guilty, bringing a 10-year courtroom saga to an end.
Patel was convicted by the Polokwane High Court for the
April 2015 murder of his 28-year-old wife at their Nirvana home in Polokwane,
South Africa.
According to provincial police spokesperson Brigadier
Hlulani Mashaba, evidence showed that on the morning of the killing, Patel shot
Fatima in the face inside their apartment, leaving her lying in a pool of
blood. Mashaba said:
“The court further heard that later that same day, at around
6pm, Patel returned to the apartment and found the victim still unresponsive.
He then reported the matter to the police, alleging that a house robbery had
taken place.”
Police arrived to find Fatima unconscious with a gunshot
wound to her face, and paramedics declared her dead at the scene.
A murder case was opened immediately, and Patel was arrested
six days later. He appeared in court several times before being granted
R250,000 bail on June 2, 2015.
Limpopo police commissioner Lt-Gen Thembi Hadebe commended
the provincial investigators and tracking teams for their persistence
throughout the long-running case. Patel is due back in court on December 17 for
pre-sentencing proceedings, and his bail has now been revoked.
His case has been marked by dramatic twists over the years, including
two key state witnesses (his domestic worker and a general employee) abandoning
the witness protection programme and fleeing the country. Patel was also
separately accused of killing his own mother, adding to the grim shadow
surrounding his name.
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