Accused in Panayiotou trial is ill

THE MAN accused of fatally shooting Eastern Cape schoolteacher Jayde Panayiotou is ill and needs surgery. This emerged in the Port Elizabeth High Court yesterday when a pre-trial conference was scheduled. Sizwezakhe Vumazonke appeared alongside Jayde’s husband and alleged murder mastermind Christopher Panayiotou, and co-accused Sinethemba Nenembe and Zolani Sibeko. Panayiotou allegedly planned the abduction and murder of his wife in April last year. Vumazonke’s lawyer Hannelie Bakker said her client had received treatment in prison but it had not helped. She requested that he receive medical attention. It is understood that he will be sent to a provincial hospital to undergo surgery. The case was postponed to September 5. – ANA