UK: Wife, two daughters died from blunt-force trauma, post-mortem finds as Tshuma appears in SA court

The Irish Times

A mother and her two children whose bodies were discovered at their Bedfordshire home died as a result of blunt-force trauma, a post-mortem examination has found.

Nothabo Zandile Tshuma, 42, who was known as Zandile, plus daughters Natalie, 15, and Nala, five, were found dead in a £1.3 million detached house in Great Denham, near Bedford, on July 6.

They were discovered after concerns were raised that they had not been seen for several days.

On Monday, Bedfordshire Police said blunt-force trauma had been listed as the cause of death as Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma, who is suspected of killing his wife and daughters, appeared in court in South Africa.

He was remanded in custody after appearing at Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court.

Tshuma, a British citizen of Zimbabwean heritage – who goes by the name of Mark, was arrested in Kensington in Johannesburg on Friday.

The UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced it had authorised three murder charges against the 45-year-old.

Work has begun to return him to the UK, Bedfordshire Police previously said.

Detective Inspector Lee Martin, senior investigating officer, said: “This case has attracted a huge amount of media coverage and we aware of international reports circulating which contain some speculation about this case.

“With three murder charges authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service, proceedings around this case remain active and we are not able to provide any further detail at this stage.

“We continue to work with the CPS and international partners as the case progresses.”

The South African Police Service said Tshuma was traced and arrested “through swift operational co-ordination and intelligence-led policing”.