By Fanuel Viriri
Silence will meet the tarmac at Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport today as the Khumalo family gathers to receive the bodies of Nothabo Zandile Tshuma, 42, and her daughters, Nala, 5, and Natalie, 15.
The bodies are expected to arrive at 2pm after leaving the United Kingdom yesterday and travelling via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on the final leg of a journey that has left two families and communities in Zimbabwe and Britain devastated.
For weeks, the Khumalo family has waited to bring their loved ones home. That wait ends today.
The three will be laid to rest side by side on Tuesday at Old Luveve Cemetery following a funeral service at the Brethren in Christ Church in New Lobengula.
Before the burial, their bodies will pass through the family home for one final time.
The return comes days after more than 500 mourners gathered at the Corn Exchange in Bedford, UK, on Thursday to remember the mother and her two daughters.
Family members, friends, colleagues, teachers and members of the wider community paid tribute to the three, describing Zandile as a devoted mother, Natalie as a thoughtful and gentle teenager, and young Nala as a bright and spirited child.
Natalie’s headmistress remembered her as a pupil whose kindness and gentle nature left a lasting impression on those around her.
The tragedy has sent shockwaves through communities on both sides of the world.
In July, Zandile and her two daughters were found dead at their home in Great Denham, Bedfordshire, after concerns were raised when they had not been seen or heard from for several days.
Bedfordshire Police subsequently launched a murder investigation, with the children’s father, Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma, 45, identified as the prime suspect.
Tshuma was later arrested in South Africa following an international manhunt.
Post-mortem examinations conducted in the UK concluded that the three died from blunt force trauma.
Tshuma appeared before the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court facing a separate firearms charge as British authorities began extradition proceedings.
As the legal process continues, tributes have poured in from schools, churches, friends and families who never knew the victims personally but were touched by the circumstances of their deaths.
Today, Bulawayo receives Zandile, Natalie and Nala.
For the Khumalo family, the arrival marks the end of a painful wait — and the beginning of the difficult task of laying a mother and her two daughters to rest.
