Big shoes left to fill
Pupils sob at slain teacher Jayde’s memorial service, while police urge public to look out for stolen rings
ATINY thing with small feet who has left huge shoes to fill. That is just one of the ways in which slain schoolteacher Jayde Panayiotou was described at a moving memorial service at Riebeek College Girls’ High School in Uitenhage yesterday morning.
A large part of the town came to a standstill when mourners crowded into the school hall for the service.
The mood has been sombre in the town and especially the school since Panayiotou’s disappearance from outside her home at Stellen Glen residential complex in Deacon Road, Kabega Park on Tuesday morning.
But there was progress in the investigation as police released photographs of Panayiotou’s engagement and wedding rings and appealed to second-hand dealers to be on the lookout and alert police if anyone tried to sell them.
The rings and other items including a laptop and cellphone were stolen and the suspects also used Panayiotou’s bank cards to withdraw cash at an ATM in KwaNobuhle.
Both rings are made of palladium. The engagement ring has a rectangular princess cut diamond and the wedding band 10 smaller princess cut diamonds.
Provincial police spokeswoman Brigadier Marinda Mills said criminals often tried to sell stolen goods to second-hand shops, jewellery stores or even presented them as gifts to loved ones or acquaintances.
“We appeal to any person who has been presented with these pieces or has seen them to immediately make contact with the Kabega Park police station in Port Elizabeth or the investigating team,” Mills said.
Several officers said yesterday the 10111 call centre had been inundated with calls from members of the public saying they had spotted a man resembling the suspect identified in pictures earlier this week. However, these all proved to be false leads.
The manhunt for Panayiotou’s killers was intensified mid-week after police indicated the suspect could possibly be the man linked to a hijacking in the underground parking area at the Greenacres Shopping Centre in February.
Police are confident an arrest is imminent.
A massive manhunt for Panayiotou ended in tragedy on Wednesday when her body was found.
At the memorial, Riebeek College teacher Rika Boucher said: “We realise that this is a massive loss. It is not simply a post we need to fill. She was a tiny thing, with such small feet but has left such large shoes to fill.”
Boucher said Panayiotou was a special person who came from a close-knit family, who shared a love of animals and people.
“As the saying goes, you can judge a man's true character by the way he treats his animals, this was particularly true with her – you could see her compassion for people and animals.”
The entrance to the hall was lined with pictures of owls – one of her favourite animals – and messages from pupils coming to terms with her death.
“These children meant the world to her, whether in her class, the hockey team she coached or the children with learning disabil-
ities she tutored, they were all her kids,” Boucher said holding back tears.
Panayiotou’s sister-in-law and colleague Chloe Panayiotou spoke about her “big sister” while choking back tears. She spoke about the love between her brother, Chris and Panayiotou, thanking her for looking after him and calling her “the best thing for him”.
“She was the most incredible person I knew. A sister, a friend, a confidante. She taught me so much, from how to boil an egg properly to organising my life. I always knew my happiness was important to her,” she said adding she hoped Panayiotou had known how important she was to all of them.
“The whole family, her parents and siblings and mine love her more than anything in the world and we will miss her,” she said. “She always went above and beyond and I intend to continue this legacy.”
Many of Panayiotou’s pupils were inconsolable. Sobs could be heard during hymns and some held each other to stop from breaking down.
Senior head girl Yolanda Mni kept her composure as she spoke of her beloved teacher. “She was a unbelievable woman who lived out her passions and was an inspiration to all who knew her,” she said.
Mni said they were comforted by the words of a poem taught to them by Panayiotou two years ago, Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep by Mary Elizabeth Frye.
Student teachers Cadi Baatjes and Orcilla Howard, who did their learnerships under her supervision, shared the view, saying there was something very motherly about Panayiotou.
“The pupils knew they could come to her with anything. Sometimes they would go to her instead of their own parents, which shows her compassion,” Baatjes said.
“She was always there to help with our practicals, check on us and make sure we were OK, ” Howard said.
Former pupil Kim Ingram, an education student at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU), was inspired by her teacher.
“Miss Inggs, as I knew Jayde, was beautiful but the person you saw was a true reflection of who she was.
“She could light you up with her luminous smile and even the brief conversations in the corridors had you feeling better about your day,” Ingram said.
“As an education student I can only hope to be as great a teacher one day, because Jayde showed us that being a teacher goes further than your classroom.
“Today my life is touched by having been in her presence. Heaven showed us one of their best angels when they sent us Jayde.”
Marilyn Woods said Panayiotou was always a loving person.
“I have vivid memories of this cute, neat, petite little girl with a generous smile who was loved by staff and learners, both as a pupil and a teacher.
“The outpouring of support tells a story of a life well lived, something we can all learn from,” she said.