Dad, 42, wanted over ‘murder’ of wife & two daughters, 5 & 15, admits possessing gun after ‘fleeing UK for South Africa’

A DAD wanted over the alleged murder of his wife and two daughters has admitted to possession of a firearm and ammunition after he fled to South Africa. Nothabo Zandile Tshuma, 42, and her daughters Natalie, 15, and Nala, five, were discovered at their £1.3million home in Great Denham, Bedfordshire, on July 6. Nothabo Zandile Tshuma, 42, known as Zandile (left), and daughters Nala, 5 (centre) and Natalie, 15 Credit: PA Authorities escorting Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma into the back of a police vehicle Credit: Sky News Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma, who also goes by the name Mark, was arrested in Johannesburg four days later. The victims were discovered after a relative grew concerned that they had not been seen for several days. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! The 45-year-old IT consultant, a British citizen of Zimbabwean heritage, left the UK two days before the bodies were found. Cops launched an urgent manhunt after the grim discovery and Interpol issued a red notice for Tshuma’s arrest. Mark Tshuma was a senior IT manager living in a £1.3million home in Great Denham, Bedfordshire Credit: Facebook Zandile Tshuma was reportedly looking to file for divorce Credit: Facebook It is understood he fled to Dubai from Heathrow Airport before taking a second flight to Johannesburg. He then travelled to his native Zimbabwe but returned to South Africa shortly afterwards where he was detained by police and found with a gun and ammunition. Tshuma appeared before magistrates in Johannesburg on Tuesday and entered guilty pleas for the unlawful possession of firearm and ammunition charges. He also admitted to contravening the Immigration Act as he entered South Africa while being a fugitive from the UK. Most read in The Sun After the arrest, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in the UK said it had authorised three charges of murder against Tshuma and an extradition hearing will be held tomorrow. A subsequent post-mortem found that the cause of death for the mum and two girls was listed as “blunt force trauma”. Sam Silk, from the coroner’s office, told the inquest a cousin of Nothabo had contacted Bedfordshire Police on July 6 after they had become concerned for the family’s welfare. The cousin told officers she usually spoke to the mother every day but had not heard from her for several days. Tshuma fled to Dubai from Heathrow Airport two days after the murder Credit: PA The bodies were found after a relative grew concerned that she hadn’t heard from Zandile Credit: PA Inquiries revealed the children had not attended school that day and initial welfare checks carried out by the police at an associated address found it was unoccupied. Cops then went to the £1.3million family home on Carnoustie Drive in the early hours of July 7 where the bodies were discovered. It comes after neighbours described their “heartbreak”. One resident, who asked not to be named, told The Sun: “What has happened is utterly heartbreaking. “I didn’t know the family very well but they seemed to have it all – two beautiful girls, great jobs and a lovely big house with a swimming pool. “But then we heard on the grapevine that the house had recently being valued and they were putting it on the market. “Someone said they were splitting up with divorce on the cards and it was very bitter because the girls were going to be living with their mum.” It has been revealed that Tshuma told friends he couldn’t live without Zandile and did not want to get separated. Friends of the family said Tshuma was acting like his typical “lovely” self when he was seen at his daughter’s sports day just hours before his family were found dead. The day before the sporting event, Andrew Southam, 64, went to the Tshuma home on Carnoustie Drive to service their pool. He told the Daily Mail that Tshuma seemed in good spirits and was usually a happy family man who was “always smiling”. He said: “He was looking forward to his daughter’s sports day and praying that the weather would hold out, because previous sports days had been cancelled.” Both girls attended private schools in the local area, with Natalie at Bedford Girls School, which costs £20,000-a-year, and Nala went to Pilgrims Pre-Preparatory School. The couple had recently had their four-bedroom, four-bathroom property valued to be put up for sale. The senior IT executive earned £100,000 as Head of Development and Support at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). A family spokesman said: “We are deeply saddened by this tragic loss of life, a young beautiful family that has needlessly lost their lives and future. “We are all grappling to make sense of this tragedy, I don’t know if it will ever be possible for us to find closure.” Tshuma has been remanded into custody and is due to appear in court on Monday, South African Police said.