Panayiotou 'takes the Fifth'

Port Elizabeth businessman Christopher Panayiotou, accused of masterminding his wife Jayde's murder, will not testify in his marathon trial.

His lawyers said they would probably call only three witnesses.

The trial, due to start on Tuesday after a three-month break, was postponed to Wednesday to allow the defence to travel to East London to speak to a potential expert witness.

The state has called more than 40 witnesses in presenting its case over 54 days.

Terry Price SC told the Port Elizabeth High Court that the defence would be ready to proceed on Wednesday and intended calling Panayiotou family friends Maurizio Bertolani and Anthony Emmett to testify.

Price said at a later stage that Panayiotou's mistress, Chanelle Coutts, would also testify.

He said the defence would no longer be calling its cellphone expert because she could not be contacted.

It not known what Bertolani - a distant relative of Panayiotou's - will testify about, but Emmett worked at the family's grocery in Algoa Park at the time of the murder and will probably be called to refute the evidence of state witness Mawonga Ndedwa.