PORT ELIZABETH - PANAYIOTOU MIDDLEMAN REFUSES TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ON STAND

Luthando Siyoni refused to answer any questions asked by the prosecutor in the Port Elizabeth High Court and told the court he will not answer any questions

The man accused of hiring Jayde Panayiotou’s killers flipped the switch on Wednesday and was tight-lipped in the Port Elizabeth High Court while responding to questions put to him by the prosecution around two statements he had apparently made to Investigating Officer Captain Kanna Swanepoel.

A cheeky Luthando Siyoni told the court not more than: “I am not going to answer the question.”

He resorted to robotic replies and at one point he silently laughed. Siyoni would also not confirm the signatures as his own on the two statements.

Siyoni even questioned Prosecutor Marius Stander: “Mr Stander did you hear me when I said I’m not going to answer these questions?”

Stander replied: “I heard you, I’m just affording you an opportunity.”

This was Siyoni’s fourth day on the stand testifying in the ongoing murder trial involving Christopher Panayiotou and his two co-accused. The day stood in complete contrast to Tuesday’s proceedings when the bouncer made a 15 minute speech to Judge Dayalin Chetty.

Stander read the statements line by line and continually asked the bouncer if he had relayed information in the statements to Swanepoel.

On Wednesday, Siyoni claimed he provided information to Swanepoel and signed a confession after police forced him to say “what they wanted” him to say at Uitenhage SAPS.

On Tuesday, Siyoni conceded to contacting Sizwe Vumazonke on Facebook, but on Wednesday he would not answer any questions on it.

Siyoni earlier told the court that he had contacted a car hire company, however when the content about car hire appeared in the statement read by Stander, Siyoni would not comment on it.

“My understanding, accused number 1 [Christopher] did give you money outside your house, according to your evidence yesterday [Tuesday],” asked Stander.

“Yesterday [Tuesday] you testified, you went to Infinity, you received R80, 000 and you paid over R50, 000 to Sizwe?”

Siyoni refused to answer any questions.

A subsequent statement made to police during May 2016 describes how Siyoni decided to co-operate with police, an excerpt reads as follows:

“The police then informed me that they wanted to ask me certain questions regarding to Jayde. The police were not “fishing” as they were talking straight to the point I was never prepared for this type of questioning as being informed by Chris and Sizwe. It was clear to me that police must have inside information from someone. There was no way I could lie because it was clear that police knew the truth already. I decided to speak the truth as I did not want to stand for something created by Christopher.”

Siyoni refused to answer all he repeatedly said was: “I am not going to answer this.”

As a Section 204 witness, Siyoni now risks losing possible immunity granted for his testimony.

The State alleges that Sinethemba Nemembe assisted Sizwe Vumazonke to kidnap and murder Jayde at the behest of her husband. Vumazonke who was the alleged link between Siyoni and other hitmen has since died.

Jayde was driven to a remote area on the outskirts of Kwanobuhle, where the alleged murder took place. The state contends Vumazonke fired two shots through Jayde’s back and a final shot through the left side of her head.

Zolani Sibeko was the last suspect to be arrested, 15 months after the murder. He was apparently placed, through cell phone mapping, outside Jayde’s complex in the days before her murder.

The trial continues on Thursday.

VIA - enca.com