Rameez Patel’s bid to recuse judge denied again
Rameez Patel's attempt to have Judge Raulinga recused from his multi-murder trial was denied again in the Polokwane High Court.
POLOKWANE – Polokwane businessman Rameez Patel’s attempt to have Judge Joseph Raulinga recused from his multi-murder trial was denied once again in the Polokwane High Court last week.
Patel, who is on trial for the 2015 murder of his first wife, had initially applied for Raulinga to withdraw, citing alleged prejudice. This application was, however, dismissed in September. Patel then sought to appeal the judge’s decision in a different court, but his leave to appeal was dismissed on Friday in the same court.
Raulinga ruled that no other court would likely reach a different conclusion, stating that he intends to see the matter through before his full retirement.
The trial has faced multiple delays due to several applications from Patel’s defence team, most of which have been dismissed. These include:- 2019: Patel applied for a discharge in his wife’s murder case – dismissed.
-2023: He appealed for relaxed bail conditions, requesting permission to report to any police station in the country twice a week – denied by Raulinga, who ruled he must report only to Westenburg Police Station.
-He also sought to recall his brother as a witness, but the judge ruled it would be a conflict of interest.
Patel was also charged in the 2017 shooting death of his mother, who was killed in front of her domestic worker. This case was provisionally withdrawn in 2021 due to a lack of evidence.
Although unrelated, Patel’s family has suffered multiple violent incidents. His father was shot and killed during a robbery and his brother survived an attempt on his life in Mankweng.
Despite previous setbacks, the court expects the trial to proceed on April 7-9.
