Port Elizabeth – The trial of the men accused of the murder of schoolteacher Jayde Panayiotou will kick off in the Port Elizabeth High Court next month.
Judge Glenn Goosen on Thursday indicated that the matter was trial ready.
It also emerged that Judge Dayalin Chetty will reside over the matter which is expected to be a mammoth trial, set down for between October 11 and December 2.
Jayde’s husband Christopher Panayiotou, along with two co-accused, Sinethembe Nenembe and Zolani Sibeko, were back in court for pre-trial proceedings on Thursday.
The alleged triggerman Sizwezakhe Vumazonke has since died after suffering from a short term illness while in custody. The State has yet to receive a toxicology report.
Vumazonke’s lawyers formally withdrew from the case on Thursday.
Prosecutor Marius Stander and Panayiotou’s lawyers both indicated that they were ready for the matter to proceed to trial.
Lawyer Peter Daubermann, who is representing Nenembe and Sibeko, said that he was not ready to proceed to trial as he was awaiting information from the State.
Daubermann said that there were allegations that the accused had conspired and acted in common purpose and he needed information from the prosecution regarding these specific claims.
Panayiotou is accused of orchestrating the murder and abduction of his schoolteacher wife, Jayde, in April last year.
It is alleged that he paid bouncer at his Infinity nightclub, Luthando Siyoni, to hire hitman Vumazonke to kidnap and kill Jayde.
The State alleges that Nenembe assisted Vumazonke to kidnap and murder Jayde at the behest of her husband.
Siyoni has since turned State witness.
Cellphone plotting showed a fifth accused, Sibeko, was with Nenembe and Vumazonke outside Jayde’s Stellen Glenn Complex in Kabega Park just five days before she was abducted.
The men are facing charges of conspiracy to commit murder, murder, kidnapping, robbery with aggravating circumstances and unlawful possession of firearm and ammunition.
Panayiotou is facing an additional charge of defeating the ends of justice.
African News Agency