Police in South Africa have found a woman hacked to death in the remnants of a house fire in what they suspect was a dispute with her husband.

The police suspect that Phillip Mafalo killed his wife Magdeline Mpana Mahlokwane and then set their vehicle on fire before dousing himself in a flammable liquid and setting himself and their house on fire.

"During further investigations, the police found the bloodstained murder weapon next to the woman’s body. A bottle containing the remnants of a flammable substance was also discovered in the vicinity," police spokesperson Motlafela Mojapelo told Times Live newspaper.

The couple's house in Driekop town in Limpopo province and a vehicle that was parked outside was also set on fire.

A spike in violence against women has ignited protests over the last year in South Africa.

President Cyril Ramaphosa went as far as declaring gender-based violence a national crisis.