By a Correspondent
The bodies of Zandile Nothabo Khumalo and her two daughters, Natalie and Nala, finally arrived in Bulawayo on Monday evening, bringing a measure of closure to a family that has endured weeks of grief and uncertainty following their tragic deaths in the United Kingdom.
The bodies were transported by road from Harare and arrived in Bulawayo shortly after passing through the Ntabazinduna tollgate at around 5:40pm. Family members and close relatives gathered to receive them before joining a convoy that escorted the hearses to Nyaradzo Funeral Parlour, where the bodies will lie in state ahead of burial on Tuesday.
Their arrival marks the end of a difficult repatriation process that was briefly delayed by bad weather. The bodies had arrived at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare in the early hours of Monday after a flight diversion to Djibouti disrupted their journey from the United Kingdom. The diversion caused them to miss a connecting flight to Bulawayo, resulting in the final leg of the journey being completed by road.
For the Khumalo family, the successful return of Nothabo and her daughters to Zimbabwe represents an important step in the mourning process and fulfils their wish for the three to be buried together in their homeland.
On Tuesday, the bodies will briefly pass through the family home in Gwabalanda before a funeral service at the Brethren in Christ Church in Lobengula. They will then be laid to rest side by side at Old Luveve Cemetery.
The family has appealed for privacy as they mourn the loss of their loved ones and prepare to bid them a final farewell. Relatives said they hope the burial will provide an opportunity for healing after weeks of anguish following the deaths.
Nothabo (42) and her daughters, Natalie (15) and Nala (5), were found dead at their home in Great Denham, Bedfordshire, on July 6. Post-mortem examinations confirmed that all three died from blunt force trauma.
Investigations into the deaths continue in the United Kingdom, where authorities have authorised three counts of murder against Nothabo’s husband, Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma. Tshuma, a Zimbabwean-born British citizen, was arrested in Johannesburg, South Africa, on July 10 and remains in custody while extradition proceedings continue.
