Slain teacher Jayde Panayioutou may have been shot

Provincial police spokesperson Brigadier Miranda Mills said a postmortem to determine the cause of the Riebeek College Girls’ High School teacher’s death was expected to be conducted during the week.

Panayiotou’s body was found in an isolated area in the KwaNobuhle township, outside Uitenhage. She went missing from her home in the Kabega Park area on Monday morning.

No arrests have been made, but police have since distributed two images of a man wanted for questioning. The man in the pictures taken from ATM cameras allegedly withdrew an undisclosed amount of money from Panayiotou’s account following her disappearance.

“There has been media speculation that the perpetrators involved in this case could be the same as in a recent case where a woman was abducted in the parking area of a shopping centre in PE, but such has not been confirmed, but a possible link is investigated,” Mills said.

Mills added a task team including dectectives, crime intelligence officers and forensic experts has been assembled for the ongoing investigation.

On Wednesday night, hundreds of residents marched to the Kabega Park Police Station in memory of Panayioutou.

Her sister, Toni Inggs, said she had been left shocked, angered and saddened by her death.

“I was angry because the world was praying with us and angry because my prayers weren’t answered,” she said in a Facebook post.

Meanwhile, provincial leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA) Athol Trollip said the party was shocked by Panayiotou’s death and called for the end of “senseless and violent crime”.

“Our country is in a crisis. By killing teachers, who are trying to impart quality education to our children, we are killing the future,” he said.

– Caxton News Service