Sarah Lee Naidoo faces bail decision amid evidence tampering allegations

The State and defence both closed their cases on Wednesday in respect of murder-accused Sarah Lee Naidoo, who now anticipates hearing the outcome of her bail application.

Naidoo, 29, is accused of stabbing and murdering Julian ‘Julz’ Ramiah during a violent altercation at his Bloubergstrand apartment on September 1, 2025.

The State and defence will continue their arguments on Thursday at the Cape Town Magistrate's Court presided over by Magistrate Alida Theart.

On Wednesday, the court heard further testimony from the defence and its witness, Yusuf Sayid Ghooram, who had arrived at the scene with his wife after police had responded. 

Ghooram told the court that he arrived on the scene after Ramiah was found in a pool of his own blood with multiple stab wounds.

It was his submission during cross-examination that Naidoo preferred that he and his wife take the minor child into their care. 

Ghooram admitted that he had taken pictures of the crime scene, and was probed by State prosecutor Adiel Jansen on whether he contaminated the crime scene while there, but he denied this.

Jansen questioned Ghooram whether he had contaminated or compromised the crime scene by walking around the apartment after the incident. To this, Ghooram confirmed that he walked into the flat after police instructed him to gather the belongings of the child, who was on the scene when the murder occurred, but denied that he compromised or contaminated the scene. 

Jansen rebutted that the State’s case includes a tampering allegation relating to a plate with a shopper card and rolled up bank note. 

In her bail application, Naidoo’s mother and sister submitted affidavits which were read into the record and detailed the child, born from the extra-marital relationship between deceased Ramiah and Naidoo, who missed his mother and often cried for her when they played videos of her. 

The grandmother and mother submitted that it broke their hearts that he is separated from his mother and how he needs her. 

According to the mother and sister of the accused, Naidoo is described as “a good mother” who wishes to be reunited with her son.

For the State, which opposes Naidoo's bail application, investigating officer Jacinta Govender, stationed at Table View SAPS, found Naidoo sitting next to Ramiah, who was in a pool of blood and had multiple stab wounds to his body, including his heart and lung, when she attended the domestic violence complaint and arrived at the scene on September 1, 2025. 

According to Govender, there were also traces of “drug use”.

Govender also submitted that Naidoo, after committing the crime, did not contact police or emergency services. 

The investigating officer also added that while the family of the accused argues for her release so that she may be reunited with her son, the State said the family of the deceased vehemently opposes her release on bail and submitted that the child concerned in the matter was present when the murder occurred.

“The strong circumstances are evident and the brutality of the killing is a further aggravating factor. She has to date given no credible reason for stabbing the deceased, in fact, everything points toward it being planned,” Govender submitted. 

The matter continues. 

chevon.booysen@inl.co.za