Man accused of murdering his mother denied bail

Rameez Patel (31), of Polokwane, who is accused of murdering his mother, Mahejeen, has been denied leave to appeal his rejected bail application by the Limpopo High Court, according to Netwerk24. Patel's lawyers argued he should be released on bail to care for his three young sons. He is on trial for the murder of his mother Mahejeen (51), who was shot in the head in her home in Nirvana, Polokwane, on 19 September 2017. The state claims Patel paid a hitman R15 000 to kill his mother because of an alleged dispute over finances. Patel brought his appeal after the Polokwane Magistrate's Court denied his application to be released on bail in February. The report notes Patel was out on bail of R250 000 when he was arrested for the alleged murder of his mother on 29 September 2017. He was granted the R250 000 bail after being charged with the murder of his wife Fatima (28). Fatima was murdered in the couple's townhouse in Nirvana on April 10. She had been hit with a baseball bat, strangled and then shot in the head with a 9mm pistol. Patel has denied any involvement in the murder of either his wife or his mother. Meanwhile Ali Salman (22), who allegedly shot Rameez's younger brother Razeen (24) outside Polokwane two weeks ago, was released on bail of R5 000 in the Mankweng Magistrate's Court. Salman and Razeen were on their way home to Polokwane after a night on the town when Razeen was shot along the R71 road. The cause of the shooting is still a mystery. Razeen was to have testified against Rameez in Fatima's trial in the Limpopo High Court the following day. Salman is due to appear in court again on 7 September.