POLOKWANE – Three months after the High Court handed down a life sentence to convicted murderer Rameez Patel, a chilling account has emerged from within his own family – one that raises unsettling questions, but offers few clear answers.

His younger brother, Razeen Patel (33), sat down with Polokwane Observer this week to describe what he says is the latest in a series of kidnappings targeting him over several years. This time, he says, the ordeal was different.

“I was hung up by my neck, hands tied behind my back, upside down with my head submerged in a dam. They hit me with a steel rod and smeared chilli sauce in my eyes. They kept asking where the money was.”

The incident, he said, happened last Thursday at his rented flat.

According to Patel, two men arrived posing as police officers, requesting entry under the pretence of an investigation.

“I regret not asking for identification. They seemed genuine.”

Four hours of torture

Once inside, he says he was overpowered, blindfolded, and forced into the back of a vehicle.

What followed, he claims, was four hours of torture before he was eventually dumped near Seshego.

Patel says his attackers demanded money, but could not specify how much, or why. “I tried to ask what money they meant. There was no explanation,” he said.

Fearing for the safety of his partner, who was inside the house at the time, Patel directed the men to R15 000 he had in cash from his small buying-and-selling business. The house, he says, was ransacked before he was driven away.

While he recalls previous abductions where he was “treated okay,” the latest incident, he says, has left him shaken.

“What struck me was the intensity. This time, there was fear.”

He said his attackers communicated in TshiVenda among themselves, a language he understands due to family ties in Sibasa.

A familiar knock

In recounting why he allowed the men inside without verification, Patel pointed to a moment from his past.

“When my father was shot in Ladanna, the police came to inform us in a similar way,” he said. “My mind went straight back to that.”

His father was killed in 2016 during a business robbery. A year later, his mother also died under violent circumstances.

Now, Patel says he is left wondering whether the attacks are linked to old business dealings.

“People think I live a lavish life because of how I grew up. That’s not true,” he said. “I don’t have that kind of money.”

Timing

The latest kidnapping comes against the backdrop of a case that has gripped the city for nearly a decade.

In December, the Limpopo Division of the High Court sentenced Rameez Patel to life imprisonment for the 2015 murder of his wife, Fatima. The court found that he showed no remorse and that there were no compelling circumstances to justify a lesser sentence.

During the trial, Razeen himself testified for the State, recounting how his brother had instructed him to hide a firearm after the murder and threatened him into silence.

That testimony formed part of the evidence that ultimately secured the conviction.

No case number days later

Despite reporting last week’s alleged kidnapping to police in Westenburg on the same night, Patel says he has yet to receive a case number, five days later.

Police confirmed to Polokwane Observer that investigations are underway, including efforts to obtain surveillance footage. They acknowledged that a case number is still to be issued.

“If something happens to me again”

For Patel, the lack of progress is deeply concerning. Now, he says, the fear extends beyond himself.

“This has affected my partner and friends. They’re worried about our safety,” he said.

Still, he chose to speak publicly.

“If something happens to me again soon, and I cannot speak for myself, then people will know what happened before. It’s not that I don’t fear for my life, but maybe this is bigger than keeping quiet.”

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