Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma has pleaded guilty in a Johannesburg court to illegally possessing a firearm and ammunition, and to an immigration offence — a step that clears the way for South Africa to extradite him to Britain.

Tshuma, described by the Associated Press as a British citizen of Zimbabwean heritage, is wanted by police in the United Kingdom over the deaths of his wife and their two daughters at the family home in Bedfordshire in July. Prosecutors in Britain say he will face three counts of murder.

The Associated Press reports that the guilty pleas formed part of a plea deal with South African prosecutors, and that South African authorities have said they will move to extradite him once his local court case is concluded. Eyewitness News, whose report was carried by NewZimbabwe.com, said a plea and sentence agreement between Tshuma and the State was before the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court.

He was arrested in Johannesburg in July after fleeing the UK, and was found in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

It is worth being precise about what Tshuma has and has not admitted. His guilty pleas relate only to the South African firearms and immigration charges. He has not entered a plea to the murder charges, and his lawyer, Chrispen Machingura, has indicated it is unlikely to become public soon how his client intends to plead in Britain, according to Eyewitness News.

The case has been followed closely by Zimbabwean communities in Britain and South Africa since the summer. AllInZimbabwe reported last month that the extradition matter had been rolled over to September in Johannesburg.

Sources: Associated Press, via ZimLive; Eyewitness News, via NewZimbabwe.com.

The High Court has granted bail to Kelsea Tadiwa Tafirenyika, the daughter-in-law of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, in a money laundering case, overturning a lower court’s decision to keep her in custody.

Justice Vivian Ndlovu set bail at US$5,000 and ordered her to report to police twice a week until the case is concluded, according to reports by ZimLive and NewZimbabwe.com. ZimLive says the reporting days are Monday and Friday.

Tafirenyika is the second wife of the President’s twin son, Collins Mnangagwa. The ruling overturns a decision by Harare regional magistrate Francis Mapfumo, who had refused her bail on the grounds that she was a flight risk. Both outlets report that Mapfumo pointed to her access to substantial financial resources and assets. NewZimbabwe.com adds that he also cited property interests outside Zimbabwe, in South Africa and the United Arab Emirates.

Prosecutors allege she laundered money that was used to acquire an extensive portfolio of property and vehicles. The two outlets put the figure slightly differently: ZimLive reports the State’s allegation at US$9.35 million, while NewZimbabwe.com describes the property portfolio as worth close to US$10 million. She also faces an allegation under the Civil Registry Act relating to a forged identity document that carried her photograph under a different name.

Tafirenyika denies the allegations, NewZimbabwe.com reports, and told the magistrates’ court that most of the properties were gifts from her husband.

The money laundering charges followed her rearrest shortly after she was released in a separate drug case. Both outlets report she was taken back into custody almost immediately on her earlier release.

None of the allegations against her have been tested at trial, and she has not been convicted of any offence in this matter.

Sources: ZimLive; NewZimbabwe.com.

Extradition proceedings against Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma, the British-Zimbabwean man wanted in the United Kingdom over the killing of his wife and their two daughters, have been postponed to September after a brief appearance at the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.

The extradition matter was remanded to 8 September, and a separate case in which Tshuma faces charges of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition to 10 September, to give his defence more time to consult him.

South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority says its paperwork is now complete. “The state has received all the required documentation from the UK authorities in support of the extradition proceedings,” NPA spokesperson Magaboke Mohlatlole said in remarks reported by TimesLIVE. “The ballistic report relating to the firearm and ammunition has been finalised. The state has furnished the defence with all relevant documentation.”

Tshuma is wanted in Britain in connection with the deaths of his wife, Nothabo Zandile Tshuma, and their two daughters, Natalie and Nala, in July. He was arrested in Johannesburg later that month by South African police acting on a warrant issued in Britain, and had a firearm in his possession at the time of the arrest.

The broadcaster eNCA reported that Tshuma has abandoned his bail application in the firearm case. He remains in custody.

The two matters are running on separate tracks. The firearm and ammunition charges are South African offences that fall to be dealt with locally, while the murder allegations would only be tried in the United Kingdom if and when a South African court grants the extradition request. No date has been set for a ruling on extradition.

Sources: TimesLIVE; eNCA (via NewZimbabwe.com); South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority