Polokwane – Thirty-nine-year-old businessman Rameez Patel has begun serving a life sentence for the murder of his wife, Fatima Patel.
Patel was sentenced by the Polokwane High Court on Friday, 19 December 2025.
Fatima was 28 years old when her husband murdered her on 10 April 2015, at their apartment in Nirvana, west of Polokwane.
Evidence presented before the court revealed that on that fateful day, Patel shot his wife in the face inside their apartment and left her lying in a pool of blood.
The court further heard that later that same day, at around 18:00, Patel returned to the apartment and found Fatima unresponsive.
He then reported the matter to the police and pretended that a violent house robbery had taken place.
Police responded swiftly to the scene and found Fatima lying unconscious with a gunshot wound to her face.
Emergency medical services personnel declared her dead on the scene.
A murder case was immediately opened, and following intensive investigations, Patel was arrested on Thursday, 16 April 2015.
He made several court appearances before being granted R250 000 bail on Tuesday, 2 June 2015.
The matter was subsequently transferred to the Polokwane High Court, where it went through extended judicial processes for nearly nine years.
On Tuesday, 25 November 2025, the Polokwane High Court finally delivered its judgment, finding Patel guilty of murder and possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition.
On Friday, 19 December 2025, the Polokwane High Court sentenced Patel to life in prison for the murder of his wife, five years for the possession of an unlicenced gun, and three years for unlawfullyhaving bullets.
The Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Thembi Hadebe, applauded the investigating team that worked with the National Prosecution Authority to secure Patel’s arrest and conviction.
“I am now relieved that justice has been served to the victim’s family and relatives, considering the devastating effects of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide,” said Lieutenant General Hadebe.
