Panayiotou's employee 'felt bad' about handing cellphone to police

A recording of a phone call a witness initially denied making was played to him in the Port Elizabeth High Court on Friday.

In the call, Mawonga Ndedwa, a former employee of Christopher Panayiotou’s, tells the murder accused’s mom that he has a phone in his possession, which he will “bring” to her.

Ndedwa, who was fired from the family’s OK Grocer last year for stealing, said Panayiotou had used his phone to contact middleman Luthando Siyoni prior to his wife Jayde’s murder.

Ndedwa said Panayiotou then gave him R1 000 to destroy the handset, but he never did.

Defence advocate Terry Price SC said after Ndedwa was fired, he saw this as an opportunity to make money and tried to convince Panayiotou’s mom, Fanoula, to pay up.

Price said Ndedwa then phoned Fanoula, promising to return the phone.

While Ndedwa initially denied phoning Fanoula, he reluctantly admitted that he may have made a call after Price informed him that the conversation was taped.

On Friday, after listening to the conversation, Ndedwa said: “I felt bad because Chris was always nice to me.” He considered not going to the police with the phone.

Testimony continues on Monday.