By a Correspondent
Questions are being raised over whether police could have done more to protect Zimbabwean-born mother Zandile Tshuma and her two daughters after it emerged that she had contact with officers just weeks before the family was murdered.
Bedfordshire Police has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) after confirming that officers had contact with 42-year-old Nothabo Zandile Tshuma before she was murdered together her daughters.
The development has intensified scrutiny of the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Zandile, 15-year-old Natalie and five-year-old Nala, whose bodies were found at their home in Great Denham, Bedfordshire, on July 6 after concerns were raised when the family had not been seen for several days.
The three victims died from what police described as blunt force trauma.
Zandile’s husband and the children’s father, 45-year-old Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma, also known as Mark, has been charged with three counts of murder.
The British citizen of Zimbabwean heritage was arrested in Kensington, Johannesburg, two days after the bodies were discovered in Britain.
He appeared before a Johannesburg magistrates’ court and was remanded in custody as authorities began the process of returning him to the United Kingdom to face the murder charges.
The police watchdog said its investigation was prompted by contact between Bedfordshire Police officers and the family in June, shortly before the killings.
“On 7 July, we received a mandatory referral from the force relating to contact officers had with the family in June. We also received a voluntary conduct referral concerning a police constable on 8 July,” the IOPC said.
The watchdog said it had launched an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the police contact with Zandile and her daughters.
“Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Zandile, Natalie and Nala, and all those affected by their deaths,” the IOPC said.
The investigation is still at an early stage.
The case has attracted significant attention among Zimbabweans in Britain and back home, particularly because of the family’s Zimbabwean links and the arrest of Tshuma in South Africa.
The South African Police Service said the suspect was located and arrested through “swift operational co-ordination and intelligence-led policing”, highlighting the cross-border nature of the investigation.
Tshuma’s LinkedIn profile indicates that he studied Management Information Systems at Solusi University in Zimbabwe before pursuing further studies at the University of Plymouth and City St George’s, University of London.
Zandile was an associate director specialising in financial crime investigations, including money laundering and fraud.
Detective Inspector Lee Martin, the senior investigating officer, previously warned against speculation surrounding the case as international interest continued to grow.
“This case has attracted a huge amount of media coverage and we are aware of international reports circulating which contain some speculation about this case,” he said.
“With three murder charges authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service, proceedings around this case remain active and we are not able to provide any further detail at this stage.”
He said investigators would continue working with the Crown Prosecution Service and international partners as the case progressed.
The IOPC investigation is likely to come under intense scrutiny as authorities seek to establish what police knew about the family in June, what contact officers had with Zandile and whether any warning signs were missed before the three deaths.
