British fugitive Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma pleaded guilty in a Johannesburg court on Tuesday to unlawful possession of a firearm and immigration offenses. Arrested in July following the deaths of his wife and daughters in the U.K., Tshuma now faces impending extradition as South African prosecutors finalize proceedings.
The legal proceedings against 45-year-old Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma moved forward at the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court, where the British citizen of Zimbabwean heritage admitted guilt to a series of local charges. Tshuma is wanted in the United Kingdom in connection with the deaths of his wife, Nothabo Zandile Tshuma, 42, and their daughters, Natalie, 15, and Nala, five. The three were found with fatal head injuries at their home in Great Denham, near Bedford, on 7 July. Authorities said Tshuma had left the U.K. two days before the bodies were discovered. He has not yet been convicted of any charge relating to the deaths.
Plea Agreement Covers Firearms and Illegal Entry
Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma, 45, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition at the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. The plea followed a section 105A agreement between the state and the defence. Tshuma pleaded guilty to all four counts relating to the unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition. He also pleaded guilty to an additional charge of contravening the Immigration Act, after allegedly entering South Africa illegally while wanted in the UK. Tshuma’s guilty pleas to charges of illegal possession of a firearm and illegal possession of ammunition were part of a plea deal, South African prosecutors said.
According to police, Tshuma was found with a gun and ammunition that he had bought in South Africa after his arrest in Kensington, Johannesburg, on 10 July. The 45-year-old was found in possession of the firearm and ammunition when he was arrested in Kensington, after fleeing the UK. British police say they believe Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma left the U.K. on July 4 and traveled to Zimbabwe and then arrived in South Africa before the bodies were discovered. Tshuma, who was identified as a British citizen of Zimbabwean heritage, was arrested in Johannesburg on July 10 while in possession of a gun and ammunition after Interpol issued a notice for him to be apprehended. South African police have said that they suspect he was going to use the gun to kill himself.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) said Tshuma initially entered South Africa legally through OR Tambo International Airport on July 5, but his immigration status subsequently changed as a result of his fugitive status. In terms of the Immigration Act, he is regarded as both a prohibited and undesirable person and is therefore considered to be in the republic illegally,
said NPA spokesperson Magaboke Mohlatlole.
The U.K. Investigation and Extradition Timeline
The three were found with fatal head injuries at their home in Great Denham, near Bedford, on 7 July. The victims were buried in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, in August. Tshuma is wanted in Britain to face three murder charges over the deaths of his wife and two daughters in Bedfordshire in July. Prosecutors in the U.K. say he will be charged with three counts of murder. South African prosecutors have said their investigation is complete and the state’s extradition request from the UK, covering three counts of murder, is ready to proceed. Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi confirmed Tshuma will be extradited to the UK once the necessary paperwork is finalised. South African authorities say they will move to extradite him to the U.K. after his local court case is concluded.
Mandatory Sentencing Warnings in Local Court
At an earlier appearance, the court had already outlined what a conviction on the firearm charge could mean for Tshuma. We submit that, in the court’s conviction of possessing a firearm, the court is obligated to sentence you to 15 years’ imprisonment if this is your first offence,
the magistrate said. If it is your second offence, the court is obligated to sentence you to 20 years’ direct imprisonment. If it is your third offence, the court is obliged to sentence you to 25 years’ direct imprisonment.
His guilty plea on the South African charges paves the way for extradition proceedings to begin. However, his lawyer, Chrispen Machingura, has told EWN that it’s unlikely that the public will know anytime soon how his client intends to plead to the murder charges in the UK.
