The mother and her two girls were found dead at their family home earlier this week

A Zimbabwean man suspected of murder has been arrested after a woman and her children were found dead at a Bedfordshire property.

Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma, also known as Mark, has been detained by South African police after he left the UK last Saturday.

Tshuma first travelled to Dubai from London Heathrow on July 4, where he then took a connecting flight to Johannesburg in South Africa.

His wife, Nothabo Zandile Tshuma, 42, and two daughters, five and 15, were found dead two days later at a property in Great Denham.

Today, following the arrest, South African Police Service National Spokesman Brigadier Athlenda Mathe told the press that her team had been supported by Interpol, the international police organisation.

Uniting their efforts, the force could track the man down to a suburb in Johannesburg "within a matter of hours".

She added: "Let this be a stern warning to criminals across the world that South Africa is not a hiding place for fugitives."

It is understood the British suspect who has Zimbabwean heritage, flew to Zimbabwe before he travelled to South Africa.

Given South Africa has an extradition treaty with the UK, officials said that Tshuma will be summoned back to the UK for further questioning.

Bedfordshire Police confirmed that work had started to return Tshuma to the UK.

The force said: "It is believed he travelled to South Africa from Zimbabwe, after leaving the country on Saturday.

"He has been remanded in custody and work is now under way to return him to the UK."

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Detective Inspector Lee Martin, the senior investigating officer, thanked the "tireless work" of police authorities across the globe.

In a statement, he said: "This has been a fast-moving investigation which has involved multiple law enforcement partners, including the National Crime Agency, Interpol and authorities in both Zimbabwe and South Africa.

"Thanks to the tireless work and dedication of all those involved, we have managed to swiftly locate and arrest Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma, who we want to speak to in connection with this shocking and tragic case.

"Our investigation remains ongoing and we’ll be working closely with our counterparts in South Africa, as well as the National Crime Agency and the Crown Prosecution Service, to bring him back to this country.

"Our thoughts remain very much with Zandile, Natalie and Nala, as well as their loved ones, at this time."

The five-day international manhunt for Tshuma spanned across the UK, Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Ms Tshuma's family even deployed a private investigation company to search for him in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare.

A spokesman for the family said: "We are deeply saddened by this tragic loss of life, a young beautiful family that has needlessly lost their lives and future.

"We are all grappling to make sense of this tragedy, I don’t know if it will ever be possible for us to find closure."