Online Reporter
NDODANA Mkhanyisi Tshuma’s first court appearance, after the murder of his wife and two young daughters, for which he is a prime suspect, gave a picture of a man who has spent nine days in hell.
The bloodshot eyes, the dishevelled hair, the distraction and the confusion on his face all combined to show how much Ndodana’s life has changed, for the worse, since the triple murder at his home in the UK.
It’s in sharp contrast to his former photos, which show him having well-kept hair, consistent with his image as a leading IT expert, in London, where he also ran a company involved in real estate.
Also known as Mark, Ndodana had turned into a fugitive until his arrest in Johannesburg on Friday evening, having flown from London to Dubai before landing in Johannesburg.
Authorities in South Africa claim he also briefly came to Bulawayo before returning to Johannesburg where he was arrested in the Kensington area of the city.
He was in possession of a gun at the time of his arrest.
UK authorities have submitted an application for their counterparts in South Africa to extradite him.
Nothabo Zandile Tshuma, 42, and her daughters Natalie, 15, and Nala, five, were found dead by police in a house in Great Denham, near Bedford, on July 6.
A forensic post-mortem examination found they died as a result of blunt force trauma.
The Crown Prosecution Service authorised three murder charges against Ndodana, 45, who is a British citizen of Zimbabwean heritage.
During his court appearance yesterday, he confirmed his name and was told a further court hearing would take place next week on Wednesday.
During the hearing he indicated he would be speaking in English.
The case was postponed to enable verification of Ndodana’s immigration status in South Africa, State prosecutor Henry Mbobo said.
“Your Honour, I request that this matter be postponed until 22 July to enable the court to verify the accused’s legal status in the Republic,” Mbobo stated.
Defence lawyer Chrispin Machingura indicated that the defence was amenable to the postponement, stating:
“We are engaging with the State. We will assess the position by 22 July and see what progress has been made, and we have discussed the matter and are in agreement that it be postponed until 22 July.”
His mother and sister were seated in the court’s public gallery, and Ndodana waved to his family as he was taken down to the holding cells at the end of the hearing.
South African police spokesperson, Athlenda Mathe, explained that the court proceedings concern the extradition request and a charge of illegal possession of firearms.
“We can confirm that South Africa has received a provisional extradition request from Interpol Manchester through to Interpol Pretoria.
“We will be awaiting a full extradition request within 40 days, which will include the case docket as well as supporting evidence.
“However, we can confirm that, for now, we do have the warrant of arrest from UK authorities.”
His arrest was the result of a collaborative operation involving the Zimbabwe Republic Police, South African Police Service and Interpol, following the issuance of an Interpol Red Notice, which signifies his wanted status on an international scale.
Police spokesperson, Brigadier Athlenda Mathe indicated that the 45-year-old was not flagged as a fugitive when he first landed in the country.
“When he landed on 5 July, he was not flagged because the UK authorities only discovered the bodies on 6 July.
“He was not yet circulated as a fugitive. Despite that, our teams acted before the red notice was issued, which shows commendable – H-Metro Reporter/IOLBC
