500 MOURNERS ATTEND SERVICE FOR NOTHABO, NATALIE, NALA IN THE UK
A remembrance service has been held for a mother and her two children believed to have been murdered in their home.
Nothabo Zandile Tshuma, 42, and her daughters Natalie, 15, and Nala, 5, were found dead in Great Denham, near Bedford, on 6 July. An inquest which opened into their deaths on Tuesday heard they died from head injuries.
Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma, 45, was arrested in Johannesburg on suspicion of murdering his wife and two children. He remains in custody in South Africa.
Almost 500 mourners attended the service at Bedford’s Corn Exchange.
Zandile’s cousin, Michelle Ncube, said: “Words cannot begin to describe the depth of our loss.
‘We grieve the loss of the future that has been stolen from them and from us.
‘She blessed us with her dry wit, her intelligence. She loved gardening. But she didn’t just nurture flowers, she nurtured people.”
She added that Zandile was “completely devoted” to her daughters and that “everything she did was with their future in mind.”
Zandile’s sister, who lives in Zimbabwe, sent a message read out by an aunt:
“She was more than my sister…sharing a bond through a lifetime of memories. [The loss has] created a void in our hearts and our family that words can hardly describe…life will never be the same without them.”
Nala’s class teacher, Nikki Woodworth, said “her hugs were legendary”. In a tribute from Nala’s extended family, they said “her smile could brighten the darkest day”.
Gemma Gibson, headmistress of Bedford Girls’ School where Natalie attended, said: “When we think of Natalie as a young girl, we picture her smile first…it simply reflected the beautiful person she was.
‘She was a composed and thoughtful pupil who loved learning…but it was her kindness that left the biggest impression.”
Natalie represented the school 107 times at lacrosse, tennis and hockey. “She will forever be loved and remembered by all of us at Bedford Girls’ School,” Gibson said.
Toby, a colleague of Zandile’s at Forensic Risk Alliance in London, said she showed “exceptional professionalism…sharp intelligence and a passion for her work with kindness”.
The organiser of the service, Jabu Ncube, who knew Zandile for 20 years, told the gathering: “How do you find words to confirm something that is unspeakable? Remember them as the angels that they are.”
Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma was arrested on 10 July on an unlicensed firearms charge in Johannesburg, and later appeared in court accused of illegally possessing firearms.
The Crown Prosecution Service said it had authorised three murder charges against him. South African courts will decide whether a British extradition request meets the legal requirements for his transfer back to the UK.
Coroner’s officers stated the mother died from “head injuries” while the children’s cause of death was listed as “blunt force head injuries”. The inquest was adjourned to a date to be determined.
Funerals for all three members of the family are to take place next week in Zimbabwe.
