An 11-year-old girl witnessed the death of her parents when her father killed her mother and shortly after committed suicide.

The man is said to have also told the girl to hang herself so that they can all die together, but she escaped. The parents' names cannot be divulged to protect the girl's identity.

This was after the woman, 31, was stabbed to death with a knife and broomstick by her boyfriend of 14 years in Daveyton, Ekurhuleni, on Monday.

The gory incident happened just a day after the launch of 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children.

As the man took the first steps towards hanging himself, he ordered his daughter to watch carefully so that she could hang herself after him.

While he was hanging, the girl ran out to get help but it was too late for her parents, who both died on the scene.

The deceased woman's brother told Sowetan yesterday when he arrived at the couple's shack he found his sister's lifeless body in a pool of blood, facing up.

"She had a big bleeding wound on her neck from being stabbed with a knife and a broomstick that was used to first beat her up before she was stabbed with the sharp side of it in her waist," he said.

The man said the broomstick was still stuck in her waist as the body laid there. He said his sister's death was a huge loss to the family.

The woman's family said the argument that led to her death and suicide was a disagreement over money.

Her cousin said they knew she was in an abusive relationship for all these years.

"We told her countless times to leave him but she kept on going back to him," she said.

Captain Pearl van Staad said though a murder case had been opened, no arrests was made "as the killer was also found dead on the scene."

A neighbour who overheard the couple argue before they died said it was around 7am on Monday when she woke up to screams from next door.

"I heard her scream and I thought it was their usual fighting until she went quiet, not knowing she was dead."

The woman said she ran to get help from other neighbours, who came too late when the two were already dead.

Gender activist from #TheTotalShutDown, Avela Faye, said it was disheartening to see women and children being violated despite efforts to bring awareness.