Wife murdered along with her young daughters in £1.3million home told ‘controlling’ IT expert husband she wanted a divorce – as friends say he couldn’t live without her

The woman who was found murdered with her daughters in their £1.3 million family home wanted to divorce her husband, who was suspected of killing them.

Zandile Tshuma, 42, wanted to break up with Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma, 45, also known as Mark, before she was murdered along with her children Natalie, 15, and Nala, 5, at her Bedford home.

On the run, Mark fled England to Zimbabwe on Saturday and was caught on security cameras at Heathrow airport.

The senior IT manager, who earns £100,000 a year, was dressed in black, wearing a blue jumper and apple watch, holding bottles of Coke and water, holding a boarding pass and pushing a suitcase as he walked through the E-gate at Heathrow.

Friends revealed that the couple was in the process of divorcing and had recently had their luxury home appraised and put on the market to go their separate ways.

Mark told his friends that he could not live without Zandile and their children and did not want a divorce.

A friend of his, who did not want to give his name, said: ‘They had been having marital problems for a long time. Their relationship had deteriorated and Zandile was bored.

‘She was a wonderful mother and wife and most of the problems stemmed from Mark’s controlling behavior.

Zandile Tshuma, left, was found with her two children, five-year-old Nala (centre) and 15-year-old Natalie, at their family home in Bedfordshire on Monday.

Zandile, a mother of two, was a successful director who specialized in financial crimes, fraud investigations and anti-money laundering.

Tshuma, a senior IT manager who earns £100,000 a year and drives a BMW, told friends he didn’t want a divorce

The family lived in a detached house in the affluent suburb of Bedford. Police were forced to close the forced entry on Monday after concerns were raised for the welfare of residents

‘He told us they had assessed the value of the house and decided to leave. ‘He wanted to start a new life with children.’

Another friend added: ‘The marriage was over and Zandile wanted to move on without Mark. She was a very intelligent woman working in the IT sector and had the ability to make a new life for herself with her girls.

‘What has happened is absolutely heartbreaking and we are all devastated. Zandile was looking forward to the future and we will all miss her very much.’

A Zimbabwean who claimed to be a friend of the IT expert wrote on social media: ‘He was going through a divorce.’ [I] He told her to let her go but she couldn’t.’

The estranged couple met at school sports day on Friday, just a day before he fled to Zimbabwe.

Bedfordshire Police senior investigating officer Detective Inspector Lee Martin said: ‘We are carrying out a number of inquiries as part of this rapid, complex investigation. We understand that Mark Tshuma left the country on Saturday and is currently believed to be in Zimbabwe.

‘We are trying to find and arrest him urgently and will appeal directly to him to surrender.

‘Unimaginable harm has been inflicted on those around Mark, leaving his relatives and friends completely devastated. Criminal investigation knows no borders. We are actively working with national and international organizations to pursue any investigations available to you.

‘Please do the right thing, come forward and hand yourself over to local authorities.

‘Our thoughts are still with Zandile, Natalie and Nala, and everyone who loved and knew them at this extremely difficult time.’

The estranged couple’s children attended local private schools. Natalie is a pupil at the £20,000-a-year Bedford School for Girls, while Nala is believed to have attended Pilgrims Pre-Prep School.

Zandile was an accomplished director who specialized in financial crimes, fraud investigations and anti-money laundering.

The 42-year-old Deputy Director previously worked in global banking and consultancy at companies including Barclays and KPMG, and was vice-chair of the Women’s Fraud Forum.

The mother-of-two attended Midlands State University in Gweru, Zimbabwe, and later worked in Tanzania before the couple moved to Bedford in 2011.

Tshuma studied Management Information Systems at Solusi University in Zimbabwe before completing his BA at Plymouth.

He later completed a diploma in Business Systems Analysis and Design at City St George’s, University of London.

Tshuma describes himself as a ‘results-oriented and energetic IT leader’.

Bedfordshire Police described the investigation as ‘incredibly complex’ and deployed specialist teams.

The woman who left flowers in front of the house on Tuesday evening said, ‘We are really sorry to have lost her, she was a very compassionate mother.’

A forensic police officer was photographed on the property where the bodies were found

Friends said the estranged couple had their four-bedroom property with a swimming pool valued so they could go their separate ways.

Deputy Chief Constable John Murphy said: ‘This is an extremely distressing incident in which a mother and her two children are believed to have been murdered.

‘Our thoughts are first and foremost with those affected.

‘This is the early stages of an incredibly complex investigation. We are dedicating all necessary resources to determine exactly what happened and find the person responsible.

‘As a result of the investigations carried out so far, we have identified a suspect who we believe has since left the country and is known to all three victims.’

The family is said to be of Zimbabwean origin.

A neighbor who has lived with the family for two years described them as ‘decent’ and ‘fairly wealthy’.

He told the Daily Mail: ‘They had a five-series BMW, I saw them cleaning it. ‘He must have a good job if he can afford it and bought the house which has been renovated in the last few years.’

The detached house, bought two years ago for £1.3 million by Tshuma, who has a Computer Informatics degree from Plymouth University, has a swimming pool, four bedrooms and four bathrooms.

Tshuma was with his wife at his daughter’s school sports day on Friday, hours before the bodies were found. He told his friends he couldn’t live without her and their daughter

Deputy Chief Constable John Murphy added: ‘Whilst there is nothing to suggest there is a wider risk to the public, we will increase the police presence in and around the area to support the investigation and provide reassurance to residents.’

‘I would also ask people to respect the privacy of victims and avoid speculating about what may have happened.’

Anyone with information about the incident or who notices suspicious activity on Carnoustie Drive is asked to contact police.