Port Elizabeth - The sudden death of the man who was allegedly hired to kill Jayde Panayiotou would not have much of an impact on the trial, the National Prosecuting Authority said on Wednesday.
Sizwezakhe Vumazonke, 30, died in hospital on Wednesday after he had slipped into a coma last month following a brief appearance in the Eastern Cape High Court sitting in Port Elizabeth on the same day.
He had been in the dock for a pre-trial conference alongside three co-accused implicated in Panayiotou’s murder, including her husband, Christopher Panayiotou, who is alleged to have orchestrated her killing.
Police spokeswoman Brigadier Marinda Mills dispelled reports Vumazonke had been poisoned, but said they would wait for the doctor's toxicology report.
“If the doctor suspects any foul play, then we will have to ask for a post-mortem to be done, but for now, we have been told he (Vumazonke) died of natural causes,” Mills said.
Eastern Cape Correctional Services spokesman Zama Feni said Vumazonke had appeared “fine” when he left St Alban's prison for court.
“There was no indication he was ill,” Feni said. “He only got sick when he appeared in court.”
It is the State's case, which is headed by prosecutor Marius Stander, that Vumazonke was part of a group of five men responsible for Jayde Panayiotou’s kidnapping and subsequent murder in April last year.
The five include her husband, a Port Elizabeth businessman who allegedly paid an employee, Luthando Siyoni, R75 000 to find a hitman to have his wife killed.
Siyoni then allegedly recruited Vumazonke, who was believed to have shot and killed Panayiotou, who was a teacher at a Uitenhage school.
Investigators have since nabbed two more men in the murder case: Sinethemba Nemembe, 28, and Zolani Sibeko, 35.
Siyoni turned state witness last year.
In his numerous bids for bail, Christopher Panayiotou told the court he should be granted bail, comparing his case to other high-profile cases like the Oscar Pistorius and Shrien Dewani murder cases.
The businessman also admitted in court to have been having an extramarital affair with Chanelle Coutts, an employee at one of his businesses.
He was denied bail on three occasions, primarily because he has South African and Cypriot dual-citizenship.
NPA spokesman Tsepo Ndwalaza said on Wednesday that Vumazonke’s death changed nothing and that the trial, due to begin on October 3, would go ahead as planned.
The pre-trial conference would now take place on September 15.
Cape Argus