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Polokwane - The Polokwane Magistrate's Court has heard that Rameez Patel's girlfriend knew that he was planning to kill his mother.
Patel - accused of killing his wife and his mother - appeared for a bail application in connection with the murder of his mother, Majeen Banu Patel, on Thursday.
Patel's girlfriend, Nasreen Mayet, who had an affair with Patel while both were still married, continued with her testimony on Thursday.
The State put it to Mayet that she was aware of Patel's plans to kill his mother.
This after it was discovered, through a recording, that Mayet had spent more than 40 minutes in a telephone conversation with her ex-husband.
In the phone call conversation, Mayet is said to have complained about Patel's abusive behaviour and how he was "planning to put his mother away".
"He is oppressing me so much... beat me, and squash my ribs and neck, am afraid if I leave he will get a hitman to kill me and you [sic]," Mayet said during a recording of the conversation with her ex-husband, which was played in court.
"Do you know that he is planning to put his mother away, and he does not know that I know."
Mayet, however, argued that her ex-husband forced her into presenting incriminating evidence against Patel.
State prosecutor Mashudu Mudau painted Mayet as an unreliable witness, saying despite her alleged knowledge of the premeditation, she failed to report the matter to law enforcement agencies.
The State alleged that Patel secured the services of a hitman. He allegedly paid R15 000 and also drove to meet with him at Extension 71, a settlement near Polokwane.
Mudau presented GPRS data to the court to indicate that Patel had driven to the hitman's location.
Patel's lawyer Tumi Mokoena attempted to counter the evidence, but the court dismissed the objection, saying the motion could be brought at a later stage. The case continues on October 25.
