Sh0ck and Sorrow as Thousands Pay Tribute to Mother and Two Daughters in Alleged Family Mu-rd-er Case
Thousands of people came together for the joint funeral of a woman and her two daughters who were allegedly murdered by the girls’ father at the family’s £1.3million home in Bedfordshire.
Mark Tshuma, 45, a British citizen of Zimbabwean heritage, is accused of the brutal murder of his wife and their children at the couple’s mansion in Great Denham last month.
Nothabo Tshuma, 42, and daughters Natalie, 15, and Nala, five, were found dead at the property on July 6. They were victims of ‘blunt force trauma’.
Mark Tshuma, a British citizen of Zimbabwean heritage, was arrested in South Africa on July 10 and is facing extradition.
Around 2,000 people attended the funeral in Zimbabwe on Tuesday, one day after the bodies of Nothabo and her two daughters arrived in the country’s second city Bulawayo – where the couple are from.
Their coffins were draped in white for the funeral service, with members of both sides of the family present.
‘It is a difficult time for both families,’ a relative of the suspect said.
Speakers said their hearts were broken and described ‘unspeakable grief’ as relatives, friends and community members gathered.
+7
View gallery
Mourners attend the memorial service of Nothabo Tshuma and her two daughters ahead of their burial at The Brethren in Christ Church, Bulawayo, on Tuesday
+7
View gallery
The coffins are lowered into the ground during the family’s burial on Tuesday
+7
View gallery
Nothabo Tshuma, 42, and her daughters Natalie, 15, and Nala, five, were found dead at the family home in Bedfordshire on July 6
+7
View gallery
Mark Tshuma, 45, (pictured) a British citizen of Zimbabwean heritage, is accused of the brutal murder of his wife and their children
‘Their departure has created a silence so deep that only the voice of God can comfort it,’ family spokesperson Theophilus Khumalo said.
He described the girls as ‘God’s little flowers’, adding that their mother had dreamed of seeing them grow into ‘confident, educated and God-loving young women’.
In an earlier statement, the family described the killings as ‘an unbearably painful journey’.
The deaths attracted attention in the UK, Zimbabwe and neighboring South Africa.
Before the bodies were found, business executive Mark Tshuma had flown to South Africa where he allegedly bought an unlicensed firearm in Johannesburg.
When he appeared in court there, it became apparent that a separate criminal charge in relation to that illegal gun could delay his extradition for months or even years.
He faces charges in South Africa of unlawful possession of a firearm after police said they believe he intended to use it to kill himself.
+7
View gallery
A line of women stand and mourn the loss of the mother and her two daughters on Tuesday
+7
View gallery
Four people carry a coffin into a car during the funeral service in Zimbabwe
+7
View gallery
Thousands gathered to mourn the loss of the mother and her two children, after they were allegedly murdered by the girls’ father
The Crown Prosecution Service in the UK has authorised three charges of murder. South African courts will consider a request to extradite him to the UK.
The suspect’s LinkedIn profile states that he studied management information systems at Solusi University in Zimbabwe before attending the University of Plymouth and City St George’s, University of London.
His wife worked as an associate director specialising in the detection of financial crimes such as money laundering and fraud.
