A post-mortem examination has found that the wife and two daughters of alleged UK triple murder suspect Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma were killed by blunt force injuries.
The findings were disclosed after Tshuma appeared before the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court on a charge of illegally possessing a firearm, while authorities continue efforts to extradite him to the United Kingdom.
British authorities want Tshuma in connection with the deaths of his wife, 42-year-old Nothabo Zandile Khumalo, and their daughters, 15-year-old Natalie and five-year-old Nala.
The three victims were found dead inside their family home in Great Denham, Bedfordshire, last week.
According to Sky News, forensic pathologists working under the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Major Crime Unit determined that all three victims died after suffering blunt force trauma.
At the same time, the South African Police Service (SAPS) said Tshuma was found with an unlicensed firearm containing two live rounds of ammunition when officers arrested him in Kensington, Johannesburg, on Friday.
National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said investigators believe Tshuma acquired the firearm shortly after his arrival in South Africa.
“On Friday, during his arrest, he was found in possession of an unlicensed firearm. According to our investigation, after landing in South Africa on July 5, he went to one of the townships where he bought this particular unlicensed firearm,” said Mathe.
She said Gauteng Organised Crime detectives and Crime Intelligence officers have launched a separate investigation to identify and arrest the person who allegedly sold Tshuma the weapon.
“We have a separate investigation being conducted by Gauteng Organised Crime and Crime Intelligence to trace the person who sold him the firearm that was found with two rounds of ammunition,” she said.
Police suspect Tshuma intended to use the firearm to end his own life before law enforcement officers located and arrested him.
“It is our suspicion that this particular firearm was going to be used to end his life. It is commendable that our teams worked quickly to arrest him before that process could unfold so that he can answer to the crimes that he committed in the UK,” Mathe said.
Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi applauded SAPS, Interpol and the multidisciplinary team for their collaboration in tracking down and arresting Tshuma.
“I must commend SAPS, Interpol and the multidisciplinary team for the sterling work they have done this week in the arrest of Mr Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma, a fugitive wanted for the murder of his wife and two children in the UK,” Kubayi said.
Kubayi said Tshuma entered South Africa through OR Tambo International Airport on July 5 before British authorities had issued an international alert for his arrest.
“At the time he went through OR Tambo, he had not yet been flagged by the British authorities. Had he been flagged, he would not have entered the country,” she said.
She explained that South African authorities immediately activated a coordinated operation after receiving the Interpol alert.
“Once we received the alert from Interpol, we acted swiftly, with a multidisciplinary team conducting tracing, and the suspect was arrested in Kensington, Johannesburg,” Kubayi said.
Kubayi confirmed that extradition proceedings are now under way and that she will sign the necessary documentation to facilitate Tshuma’s return to the United Kingdom to face prosecution.
