Proceedings finally got underway on Wednesday in the bail application of the self-confessed middleman in the Panayiotou murder.
The 33-year-old Luthando Siyoni was arrested earlier this month after evading police for nearly six months.
This was one of the reasons, as indicated by die State, why they are opposing bail.
The lead investigating officer Kanna Swanepoel stated in his affidavit that Siyoni was warned several times to appear in court on the day Christopher Panayiotou was sentenced. Police also visited the home of his mother and now ex-girlfriend Babalwa Breakfast on numerous occasions but with no success. Police even had an undercover policeman join Siyoni's gym in Kwazhakhele, and still could not determine his whereabouts.
The State says this and the fact that Siyoni is facing life in prison makes him a flight risk.
State Prosecutor Marius Stander added that they had a strong case against Siyoni.
He also believes that Siyoni could influence State witnesses since he knew most of them and also knew where they lived.
The State's indictment was very similar to that of Christopher Panayiotou and his co-accused with several of the same State Witnesses also on the list.
Siyoni's ex-girlfriend Babalwa Breakfast is one of those witnesses.
Breakfast became headline news during the trial when she too was declared a hostile witness. She changed her testimony on the stand and was arrested on the same day and charged with perjury.
Siyoni is facing a charge of conspiracy to commit murder and murder.
He is being accused of being the middleman for Christopher Panayiotou who needed him to find someone to kill his wife Jayde.
Jayde was kidnapped and murdered in April 2015.
Her body was found a day later in a field on the outskirts of Kwanobuhle.
Panayiotou and his co-accused Sinethemba Nemembe are currently serving life for Jayde's murder while another accused, Zolani Sibeko is serving 15-years for conspiracy to commit murder.
