As the lengthy bail hearing of Rameez Patel was again postponed on Monday, the family of his wife Fatima Patel have spoken out, saying they want justice to be served. The Polokwane businessman Rameez Patel is applying for bail, after he was charged with killing his spouse and then staging a robbery. Fatima, who was beaten to the limit where her skull and cheekbones had been shattered, and her jaw was dislocated, was shot and then killed at the couple’s home in Nirvana. Following the incident, Rameez was arrested on the 16th April 2015 but has denied any involvement in her murder.

His family believes that he had nothing to do with the murder and have insisted that Rameez loved Fatima and would never do anything to hurt her.

Fatima’s first cousin Tazneem Choonara, speaking to VOC News on Monday, remembered her as a family-orientated person.

“My father was Fatima’s father’s oldest brother and growing up we spent a lot of time together,” she said.

“Fatima was soft spoken and very family orientated.”

Rameez’s version of events, that a burglar had forcibly entered their home, does not appear to be holding up. Last week an in-loco inspection was conducted at the townhouse complex requested by his attorney, Tumi Mokwena. This was apparently to determine whether anyone could have tampered with the property’s gate in order to gain entrance.

Investigating officer Constable David Nkuna told the court earlier this month that after his wife’s murder, Patel went to take a bath at his uncle’s house and changed his clothes three times.

It is alleged that Rameez was having an affair and after Fatima found out about it, she confronted him. The night before the murder, neighbours claimed that they heard Fatima and Rameez fighting.

“We strongly believe as the family that if Rameez is guilty of murdering my cousin, who was more a sister than cousin to me, then he must pay,” Choonara stressed.

“It is heart breaking that Fatima leaves behind her kids and her youngest being 4months old. There are rumours that Fatima found out about an affair that Rameez was having and she confronted the person and her husband. I know Fatima and she just wanted her family to be together.”

Choonara said Rameez and Fatima’s marriage was not an arranged alliance but rather that of love. Fatima was committed to Rameez and would do anything for him.

“She moved so far away and lived with him, she loved him dearly.”

“We just want justice to be served and if Rameez has murdered Fatima then he should pay for it because he hasn’t just taken away a mother from their kids but a sister from her family too.”

The bail hearing has been postponed until Tuesday. VOC (Najma Bibi Noor Mahomed)