Jayde murder accused was not assaulted - cop
Port Elizabeth - The late Sizwezakhe Vumazonke was not assaulted by police, but did bump his head during his arrest, an officer testified in the Jayde Panayiotou murder trial on Monday.
Last week the court heard that he may have been assaulted during his arrest because he had a swollen right eye, and there was a long gap between his arrest and his eventual booking in at the police station. According to testimony, he tried to wiggle out of the car he was in when police swooped in on him, but he was caught.
Vumazonke is thought to have been the triggerman in Jayde's murder and was tracked down and taken in by police in the early hours of May 3 2015.
Vumazonke was to have stood trial with Jayde's husband Christopher, Sinethemba Nenembe and Zolani Sibeko on charges of conspiring, kidnapping, robbing, and killing Jayde, but he died in September after falling gravely ill.
Jayde was kidnapped on April 21 last year and was found dead in a field the following day with three gunshot wounds.
Asked directly by prosecutor Marius Stander whether police had assaulted Vumazonke, detective Warrant Officer Johannes Botes said: "No.amp;"
He also filled in some of the gaps in the timeline of Vumazonke's arrest on May 3 last year, from when police took him in to when he was finally booked in to the police holding cells.
Hired car at murder scene
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Botes explained that the first time he saw Vumazonke was at around 03:00 at the Kabega Park police station and he saw that his right eye was swollen.
Brigadier Gary McClaren transported him from there to the Despatch police station, with Botes following them.
During his arrest, the police found the following items on him: A black wallet, drivers licence, Capitec bank card, cash, a CNA gift card and an Edgars card sealed in a bag.
Botes explained that the delays were because police were looking for a place for Vumazonke to be detained which would be convenient for the investigation.
They also battled to get keys for the specific type of handcuffs that were used.
He was eventually taken to KwaDwesi police station.
Later the court heard that a tracking device on a Toyota Etios he had hired put the car at Jayde and Christopher's home and in the field where her body was found.
The trial will continue on Tuesday.
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