Triple Murder Suspect Ndodana Returns To Court Today After “I Don’t Remember Pleading Guilty” Claim
Zimbabwe-born British national and triple murder suspect Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma returns to the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court Thursday morning after his defence asked for a mental evaluation, saying he could not remember pleading guilty to firearm and immigration charges.
Tshuma, 45, also known as Mark, had been expected last Wednesday to finalise a plea and sentencing agreement for unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition and contravening the Immigration Act.
The charges relate to an unlicensed 9mm firearm found on him at arrest, including possession of a prohibited firearm with an obliterated serial number.
But his lawyer Chrispin Machingura told the court he could not proceed because Tshuma said he did not remember signing the agreement negotiated over several weeks. When shown the signed document, he said he could not recall signing it and maintains he is innocent.
Machingura said his client looked visibly distressed, shaken and in tears, had been unable to eat or sleep properly, and was unable to provide clear instructions. He requested a medical and sobriety evaluation.
The state opposed the evaluation, saying there was insufficient evidence before court to justify one. The magistrate postponed the matter to Thursday, 29 October (today), for Machingura to get further instructions.
Tshuma remains in custody after abandoning his bail application on 13 July.
He is wanted by Bedfordshire Police in the United Kingdom in connection with the murders of his wife, Nothabo Zandile Tshuma, 42, and their two daughters, Natalie, 15, and Nala, five.
The three were found dead at their home in Great Denham, Bedfordshire, in early July with blunt force injuries to the head. Police said Tshuma fled the UK on 4 July through Heathrow, two days before the bodies were discovered.
He was tracked through an Interpol red notice after Westminster Magistrates’ Court issued a warrant. He entered South Africa through OR Tambo International Airport on 5 July and was arrested in Kensington, Johannesburg, on 10 July.
The victims were later buried side by side at Old Luveve Cemetery in Bulawayo.
South Africa has two separate cases – the local firearm and immigration case, and the extradition case. Once the local case is concluded, he will face extradition to the United Kingdom to face three counts of murder.
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