SA court postpones extradition hearing of UK man charged with murdering family

The extradition hearing of a UK citizen charged with triple murder in Britain has been postponed until September to give his lawyer time to consult with his client.

A British man of Zimbabwean heritage wanted in the UK for the murders of his wife and two daughters appeared before a South African court on Thursday.

Forty-five-year-old Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma was arrested in Johannesburg last month after an international manhunt. He’s now facing extradition to Britain as well as charges of illegal possession of a firearm.

Tshuma's defence attorney Chrispin Machingura said the extradition could be delayed by the other charges:

"We may get a custodial sentence on the firearms case and it might take a long time before he goes. But the actual hiccup, what I foresee is when he pleads not guilty and a trial has to run, it puts everything in a tailspin.”

Tshuma was arrested days after the bodies of his wife and daughters were discovered. He had fled the UK to Zimbabwe before traveling on to South Africa.

Thursday’s hearing was postponed until next month to allow Tshuma’s lawyer time to receive instructions. The extradition hearing has been rescheduled until September 8 and the hearing over the firearms possession charge is set for September 10.

"I went to consult with him yesterday, he wasn't in a position to consult," Machingura said. "Today there would have been movement on both matters. But because my instructions are still outstanding on both matters it delays everything.”

Tshuma’s wife Zandile and their daughters, 15-year-old Natalie and 5-year-old Nala were found dead at their home in Bedfordshire England in early July. An inquest into their deaths conducted in Britain found that they died from blunt force trauma. Thousands of people attended their funerals in Zimbabwe on August 4.