Bail denied for husband accused of stabbing wife to death
|Published
NOXOLO MIYA
Johannesburg - Magistrate Nishani Beharie of the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court refused grant bail to Shaheed Cajee, 37, who is charged with the murder of his wife, Nezreen Fakier Cajee, 40.
It is alleged that Cajee stabbed and killed Cajee at their home in Greenside on December 6 multiple times with a screwdriver, and her body was found in a pool of blood by a neighbour, after being alerted by one of the couple's sons.
State prosecutor Victor Mabunda submitted confirmation from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to the effect that Cajee's alleged offence was a Schedule 5 offence, which was accepted by the court.
Defence lawyer Advocate Theunis Frans Kruger argued in court that the accused was a first-time offender who battled with a drug addiction and, if granted bail, would not be going back to his home, but rather to a rehabilitation centre for 180 days.
"We are here today to request bail, and the accused intends to get admitted to a rehabilitation centre in Johannesburg, where his family will cover the costs. As a condition of bail, he will stay at this facility until the court releases him. A copy has been attached that proves that a deposit has been paid to the said facility. The court can allocate an officer to take the accused to the centre in order for him to undergo treatment," said Kruger.
Delivering judgment on bail, Magistrate Nishani Beharie said that she was not convinced by the defence's submission, and that the accused had had his whole life to admit himself into a rehabilitation centre, and therefore the reasons stated by the defence were insufficient to grant bail. Beharie further agreed with the prosecutor that releasing Cajee on bail would not be in the interests of justice and society.
"The fact that the accused has a problem with drugs is neither here nor there; at the end of the day, a life has been lost, and I object to the submission brought forward by the defence that you are a subject or a victim of substance abuse. You are a 37-year-old; you're not 19 years old; you had enough time to rehabilitate yourself."
Speaking on behalf of Nazreen's family, her younger brother Rian Fakier said that he was hurt and missed his sister dearly.
"She was a very lovely person, always smiling and making sure everyone is fine. I still look at her pictures every day and cry because she was a completely lovely person and didn't deserve any of this. But the judge was firm and didn't take any nonsense, so we are happy with the court's outcome today."
The case has been postponed until January 31 for further investigations.
The Star