Jayde’s friend tells court of frantic search on day she went missing

Jayde Panayiotou’s close friend and colleague at Riebeek College Girls’ High School in Uitenhage broke down as she was asked if she knew Christopher.

Cherise Swanepoel‚ the first state witness to be called‚ said she met Panayiotou when they were just eight or nine years old.

Swanepoel was the last person to communicate with Jayde prior to her murder on April 21 last year.

It was Swanepoel’s week to collect Jayde from her Stellen Glen home and drive to school. The two shared a lift club.

“I would send her a text when I left home and she would wait outside the complex‚” Swanepoel said.

At 6.20am‚ Swanepoel sent Jayde a message to say she was filling up with fuel.

“I offered to drive straight into the complex as it was drizzling. She said she would wait outside.”

At 6.24am‚ Swanepoel sent another message to say she was on her way.

At 6.33am‚ she once again messaged to say she had arrived at Stellen Glen.

The message was never delivered.

“I waited a while and then tried to phone Jayde. Her phone was off.”

Thinking something was wrong with Jayde’s cellphone‚ Swanepoel called the Panayiotou’s landline and later Christopher’s cellphone.

“I asked him where Jayde was and he said‚ ‘what do you mean? She has gone to work’.”

He let her into the complex and the two drove around‚ frantically looking for Jayde. They spotted a police van and informed the officers what had happened.

Later‚ movement on Jayde's bank account saw Swanepoel and Panayiotou drive to Njoli Square.

Asked if Panayiotou seemed concerned that Jayde was missing‚ she said: “He was very determined to find her.”

Defence advocate Terry Price said Panayiotou had warned Jayde to wait for her lift behind the complex gate as people were often milling around looking for work.

 – TMG Digital/The Herald