The man who was allegedly the middleman in arranging the killing of Port Elizabeth school teacher Jayde Panayiotou on Friday denied that he was ever asked by anyone to find a “contract killer”, or that he was ever approached or requested to “shoot” anybody.
Section 204 witness and self-confessed middleman Luthando Siyoni was answering questions put to him by the prosecution in the Port Elizabeth High Court on Friday, and he directly contradicted his earlier statements to police that he had been asked by Jayde’s husband Christopher Panayiotou to find someone to kill his wife.
In a dramatic day of testimony in the fifth week of the ongoing trial of Panayiotou and two co-accused Sinethemba Nemembe and Zolani Sibeko, Siyoni, the bouncer who worked for businessman and murder accused Christopher Panayiotou, recanted virtually of what he had told police earlier.
According to the State, Panayiotou hired Siyoni to recruit hitmen to kidnap and murder his wife, Jayde.
On Friday, in giving evidence, Siyoni deviated from his statement made to police at the time of his arrest, a week after Jayde’s killing during April last year.
Siyoni told the court that he did not know the school teacher and had only seen her once outside Infinity nightclub walking with her husband, and neither did he have any knowledge of where Jayde worked.
Siyoni’s initial statement to police read: “Chris asked me to look for people who could kill his wife. He never told the reason for him to kill his wife. He said that he did not want me involved in the killing and I should arrange people who will do the killing.
“During February 2015, date I cannot recall, Chris gave me the money of the sum R80,000 cash. I kept the money with me and I informed Sizwe (Vumazonke). I drove with Sizwe to Kabega Park and showed him the place where Chris’s wife used to stand and wait for transport to Uitenhage school as she was a teacher.”
However, in giving evidence on Friday, Siyoni said that his dealings with Vumazonke related to weights he wanted to buy for a gym he ran in Kwazakhele. According to Siyoni, Vumazonke would procure the weights, sort of like a “middleman” to the supplier.
Siyoni told the court that when Vumazonke called him on April 21, it was because he “desperately wanted the money for the weights”.
On the day of Jayde’s disappearance, Siyoni said that he had made his way to Panayiotou’s nightclub to collect Vumazonke’s money. He claimed that Panayiotou kept money for him at the club for safe keeping after the two had devised and agreed on a “saving plan” for the bouncer.
The court heard that for “safe keeping”, Christopher stashed “over R30,000” or “R42,000”, Siyoni could not recall the exact amount.
Siyoni claimed that a month prior to his arrest, he had received a portion of the cash back because he wanted to buy the weights. Panayiotou saved about R6,000 left of the lump sum, according to the bouncer.
Siyoni told the court he spoke to his boss on the day of Jayde’s disappearance.
“He sounded sad but happy that I was there [at Infinity], I said he must stay strong and I will stay at Infinity until closing time.”
After the club had closed, Siyoni said he went to KFC at Njoli Square, collected his girlfriend Babalwa Breakfast and went home. He then claimed to have received a call from Panayiotou who requested directions to Njoli Square as “it was alleged money was drawn from Jayde’s account there”.
Siyoni said he accompanied Panayiotou and pointed out ATMSs near Njoli Square. He said he told Panayiotou that he was short of money to pay Vumazonke and Christopher gave him R2,000 in a gym bag upon dropping him off at Breakfast’s house.
Siyoni said he had R8,000 in his pocket, money he had apparently won from gambling that day, but was short on the R10,000 he needed to pay Vumazonke for gym equipment.
Siyoni then laughed and said he realised that his girlfriend had eaten up all the KFC.
“I called him [Sizwe] to collect the money, we then left and I asked him to take me to KFC,” he told the court.
Just before his testimony commenced on Friday, Siyoni stood up and told Judge Dayalin Chetty that he was “grateful” for the opportunity and looked forward to “telling the truth”.
According to the prosecution’s case, Vumazonke, the alleged triggerman who has since died‚ was promised an amount of R40‚000 to have Jayde killed, and at a later stage it was agreed between Vumazonke and Siyoni that Vumazonke would be paid R50,000.
Siyoni’s statement to police stated that he wanted to take the “extra R30,000 for his own use”.
The State alleges the hit was ordered by Jayde’s husband who was having an affair.
According to the prosecution, Jayde was driven to a remote area on the outskirts of Kwanobuhle, where the murder took place. The State contends Vumazaonke fired two shots through Jayde’s back and a final shot through the left side of her head.
Her husband and his co-accused are facing charges which include conspiracy to commit murder, murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances, kidnapping and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition.
Panayiotou faces an additional charge of defeating the end of justice.
The trial continues on Monday.
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