Johannessburg,SA: Mark Ndodana Tshuma has pleaded guilty to four charges relating to the unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, as well as a contravention of South Africa’s Immigration Act, when he appeared before the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court.
Tshuma, 45, a British citizen of Zimbabwean heritage , is wanted in the United Kingdom over the alleged murders of his wife, Nothabo Zandile Tshuma (42) and their two daughters, 15 year old Natalie and five year old Nala. His guilty pleas relate strictly to the four South African charges and not to the alleged murders of his family in the UK.
The bodies of Zandile and her daughters were discovered at their home in Great Denham, near Bedford, on 7 July, with a post-mortem later listing the cause of death as blunt-force trauma. Bedfordshire Police said Tshuma had left the UK two days before the bodies were found. He entered South Africa legally through OR Tambo International Airport, but his status changed once he became a fugitive , the National Prosecuting Authority says he is now regarded as a prohibited and undesirable person under the Immigration Act. He was arrested in the Kensington area of Johannesburg on 10 July, reportedly found in possession of an unlicensed 9mm handgun bought locally.
Tuesday’s guilty plea followed a Section 105A agreement between the state and the defence and closes out the South African firearm and immigration matters. The extradition process, however, remains a separate legal track ,the Crown Prosecution Service in England has authorised three murder charges against Tshuma, and the UK has formally requested his return to face trial.
Further details on sentencing for the four South African charges were not immediately provided, though the court has previously noted that a firearm-possession conviction carries a mandatory minimum sentence.
Zandile, Natalie and Nala were laid to rest in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe in August.
