Panayiotou: 5 must testify

The defence will call five witnesses in the trial in which businessperson Christopher Panayiotou is accused of the murder of his schoolteacher wife, Jayde, whose body was found a day after she was kidnapped in Kabega Park, while waiting for her lift to Riebeek College Girls’ High School in Uitenhage.

The prosecution called more than 40 witnesses in the trial in the High Court in Port Elizabeth before the state closed its case.

Family friend Anthony Emmett, who is the regional operations manager for the OK Grocer franchise, testified yesterday, as well as Panayiotou’s relative, Marizio Bertolani.

Emmett testified that on the day Jayde’s body was discovered, Panayiotou, pictured, was very distraught. “I had never seen him like that, at one stage he called me and he was crying,” said Emmet.

In November, a family friend married to a Panayiotou relative, Pieter Bekker, testified that the businessperson had shown no emotion upon hearing his wife’s body had been found.

Emmet also testified to the firing of an OK grocer employee, Mawonga Ndedwa, in the presence of himself, Fanoula Panayiotou and Panayiotou’s mistress, Chanelle Coutts.

Ndedwa had earlier told the state that he had found R30 000 in a bag in a storeroom at Panayiotou’s OK Grocer store. He said Panayiotou told him the money was for Luthando Siyoni, who allegedly found the hitman who killed Jayde.

Emmet said that Ndedwa told him: “Mamma [Fanoula] must pay R150 000 she must phone me within five hours or I am going to the police.”

Ndedwa alleged Panayiotou had used his phone and SIM card. But prosecutor Marius Stander wanted to know why Emmet did not ask Ndedwa to whom he was referring to. Emmett replied that he was just not interested.

Meanwhile, the defence is expected to call Laurika Booi today. Murder-accused Panayiotou allegedly registered his Inet Lounge in the Cotswold shopping centre complex in Booi’s name.

The businessperson’s mistress is also expected to be called later next month, but Judge Dayalin Chetty asked that a plan be made for Coutts to be called sooner.

Advocate Terry Price said they were busy consulting an American cellphone plotting expert, but could not confirm if he would be called to the stand.

Panayiotou will not be asked to testify. – ANA