By Desire Tshuma
BULAWAYO — The Khumalo family will today receive the bodies of Nothabo Zandile Tshuma and her daughters Natalie and Nala at Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport, bringing them back to Zimbabwe for burial.
The plane is expected to land at 2pm after departing the United Kingdom on Saturday with a stopover in Addis Ababa.
Speaking for the family, Mr Leon Leroy Khumalo said preparations were complete and relatives would be at the airport to welcome them.
“All is in place to receive our daughter and our grandchildren. The family will be there when the plane lands at 2pm,” he said.
After the arrival, the family will gather at their Gwabalanda home with the MP for Luve to finalize funeral arrangements. Their wish has been to lay Zandile and the two girls to rest in Zimbabwe, surrounded by those who knew and loved them.
A funeral service is planned for Tuesday at Brethren in Christ Church in New Lobengula. The cortege will pass through the family home in Gwabalanda before the three are buried side by side at Old Luveve Cemetery.
In Bedford, UK, where the family lived, more than 500 people attended a remembrance service on Thursday at the Corn Exchange. Zandile was remembered as a devoted mother. Natalie, 15, was described by her headmistress as a thoughtful pupil with a bright smile. Five-year-old Nala was recalled for her warmth and kindness.
Zandile and her daughters were found dead at their home in Great Denham, Bedfordshire in July after concerns were raised when they had not been seen for days. Bedfordshire Police launched a murder investigation. Post-mortems found all three died from blunt force trauma.
Zandile’s husband, Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma, 45, was identified as the prime suspect. He was later arrested in South Africa. He appeared at the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court on a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm while extradition processes to the UK, where he faces murder charges, are underway. The case was postponed pending those procedures.
The tragedy has drawn grief and messages of support from Zimbabwe and the UK, from relatives, schools, churches and the community.
For the Khumalos, today is a painful but necessary step toward healing.
“We just want to bring our own home and give them the dignified farewell they deserve,” Mr Khumalo said.