A former convict, who was out on parole, hacked his girlfriend to death before committing suicide by hanging himself from a tree at his home.

Thomas Chauke (32) of Basani village in Malamulele killed his girlfriend, Vongani Chauke, who is believed to be from Greenfarm, in his house on Thursday. He is alleged to have taken the 16-year-old girl from her home under the pretext that they were going to Johannesburg.

His sister, Sophie Chauke, who is a traditional healer and stays in the same village, said that her brother had been arrested and served three sentences of theft, robbery and rape in the past. According to her, the latest incident has become a burden on the family.

“Now he killed his teenage girlfriend and committed suicide, leaving me to bury him and take care of his son. He has done many bad things. Because he was my brother, I always supported him in anything he was doing, and I even bought him equipment to continue with his panelbeating business. I did everything to help him and he thanked me by killing a woman in my mother’s house,” said the sobbing Chauke.

She added that she was with her brother on Wednesday morning when he went to her house to ask for R20. “The next thing, I was called to come see him hanging from a tree, with the body of a teenager inside the house. I didn’t even know the girl, and I was shocked when I saw her ID and realised that she only 16 years old.”

The latest incident has strained the family, who had a string of bad luck in the past. In 2012, the family lost a member, Samuel Chauke, a businessman in Gauteng, who was hijacked and shot dead by unknown assailants. Two months ago, Samuel’s mother also died because of complications that developed after the death of the son.