Family petitions against bail for murder-accused Sarah Lee Naidoo

The family of murdered Julian Ramiah has gathered nearly 800 signatures on a petition urging the court to deny bail to his lover, Sarah Lee Naidoo, 29, who is accused of his murder. 

Naidoo will appear in the Cape Town Magistrate's Court next week to continue her bail application related to the fatal stabbing of Ramiah, 47, during a violent altercation at his Bloubergstrand apartment on September 1, 2025. 

As she remains in custody at Pollsmoor Prison, her newly appointed Legal Aid attorney is preparing to argue for her release, amid growing public concern over the case.

The opposed application is set down for February 18 and 19.

Meanwhile, Ramiah's family and loved ones have garnered nearly 800 signatures in a petition calling for Naidoo not to be released on bail.

While his family was served with cease and desist letters and a protection order over online posts calling for justice for Ramiah, the petition makes an impassioned plea calling for justice.

Similarly, Naidoo's family wrote a published letter in which they broke their silence in the interest of a child born from the pair’s extramarital relationship.

The no-bail petition reads: “This petition is submitted in good faith, based on observations of court proceedings and statements made in open court. It does not seek to determine guilt or to interfere with judicial independence, but to express public concern regarding factors relevant to bail, including witness safety, public interest, and the integrity of the judicial process.

“Julian was not merely a name on a charge sheet. He was a husband, brother, father, son, friend — a human being whose absence has left a permanent and painful void. His family now grieves a loss that words cannot undo, while simultaneously being required to navigate courtrooms, procedures, and fear.

“This petition is written because justice does not exist in silence alone. It exists when the truth is protected, when witnesses are safe, and when grieving families are not further harmed by the very processes meant to uphold the law…

“Julian Ramiah no longer has a voice. His family deserves dignity, safety, and the space to grieve without fear,” the petition reads.

Previously, a family representative, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they have been distressed by claims in the published letter that “evidence presented in court tells a different story” and implies abuse by Ramiah.

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