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The family of a mother found dead alongside her two daughters have said that their deaths “will leave a massive hole in our hearts”, as they laid flowers outside the home in which their bodies were discovered.
Police forced entry into a £1.3m detached property in Great Denham, near Bedford, on Monday after reports that Nothabo Zandile Tshuma, 42, known as Zandile, and her daughters Natalie, 15, and Nala, five, had not been seen for several days.
Police believe they were murdered and have identified the suspect as 45-year-old Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma, also known as Mark – who is the girls’ father and Mrs Tshuma’s husband.
He is now thought to be in Zimbabwe after he was spotted on CCTV boarding a flight on Saturday at Heathrow Airport.
In an emotional statement outside the home in Great Denham on Thursday, Mrs Tshuma’s cousin Michelle Ncube described how the family “had such high dreams” for the girls, and paid tribute to their mother.
Family members laid flowers before paying tribute to their loved ones. Credit: ITV News Anglia
She said Mrs Tshuma would be remembered “as the loving, most patient, demure, person, that she was”.
“I think if there’s anything that we remember of her, it’s just how affectionate she was,” she told ITV News.
“She was a naturally private person but she had this warmth and this compassion that really drew you in.
Zandile Tshuma, left, with her daughters Nala, five, and Natalie, 15. Credit: Bedfordshire Police
“She was motivated to be a successful black woman,” she said, adding that Mrs Tshuma loved gardening and flowers “and she was a precious flower to us”.
Commenting on the two girls, Ms Ncube said that they “were absolute dreams” who “brought such love joy and light into our lives.”
“You knew you would leave that space feeling a lot lighter and happier,” she said.
“We had such high dreams for them. They had such joy, and brought such happiness.”
There were emotional scenes as members of the family consoled each other. Credit: ITV News Anglia
The visit to the home came a day after police launched a manhunt to find Tshuma, a British citizen of Zimbabwean heritage.
On Wednesday, officers made a direct appeal to the triple murder suspect to hand himself in, saying that “unthinkable harm” had been caused to his family.
Reflecting on the devastation that had been left behind, Ms Ncube admitted that it “didn’t feel real”.
“It absolutely feels surreal. It feels like it’s happening, but not happening to us. It doesn’t feel real at all. It’s unbelievable. Most of us are in a state of shock.
“What we want is for us to remember that behind all of this was a woman and two beautiful girls. It’s left a massive hole in our hearts. Let the police do their jobs. We want people to talk about the person that she was, and the little girls.”
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