PORT ELIZABETH, May 27 (ANA) – Murder accused Christopher Panayiotou’s family have distanced themselves from a long-time family friend Donovan Vosloo who has become a State witness.
This emerged in the Port Elizabeth Magistrate’s Court on Friday where Panayiotou was making a third attempt to be released on bail.
The Port Elizabeth businessman is alleged to have orchestrated his wife’s kidnapping and subsequent murder last year.
It is alleged Panayiotou paid Luthando Siyoni, a bouncer at his Infinity night club, to hire hitman Sizwezakhe Vumazonke to kidnap and murder Jayde Panayiotou.
The state alleges that Sinethemba Nenembe assisted Vumazonke to kidnap and kill Jayde, allegedly at the behest of her husband.
Defence attorney Alwyn Griebenow submitted two affidavits from Panayiotou’s father Costa, who said Vosloo was supportive of the Panayiotou family and at one point even visited his son in prison.
Costa Panayiotou said he was disappointed in Vosloo, who had previously supported and guided his son through very emotional times. He said Vosloo visited the Panayiotou home many times and had knowledge of the case as discussions had taken place.
“On more than one occasion after July 2015 I’ve heard Donovan through general discussions who indicated to the group at times I was present that he was being strongly pressurised by [prosecutor Marius] Stander and [investigating officer Kanna] Swanepoel to implicate [Christopher] in the case, his father has confirmed this… I’m bitterly disappointed and heartbroken that someone I have known so long and that has been such an integral part of our family has chosen to lie under oath by saying he was threatened by the Panayiotou family.”
Costa Panayiotou also denied ever passing a comment to family friend and former policeman Leon Eksteen questioning his son’s involvement in Jayde’s disappearance.
Vosloo, a Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University IT technician, had reportedly upgraded the cellphones of Christopher Panayiotou and his mistress Chanelle Coutts, effectively wiping out both handsets of any data just days after Jayde’s body had been discovered.
The polices cyber crime unit was subsequently unable to retrieve any cellphone data and experts from abroad were eventually flown in to assist.
Griebenow, in his own affidavit, also criticised Vosloo, saying he was lying about not consulting the defence team. He said he had handwritten notes from these consultations.
Stander said over 250 pages of documentation had been handed to the court and he was still unclear what the new facts were.
“Up until now I have not seen any new facts and until such time I cannot draft my heads of argument,” said Stander.
Magistrate Abigail Beeton postponed the matter until June 1 for the defense to submit their heads of argument.
– African News Agency (ANA)
