A ZIMBABWEAN woman and her seven-month-old baby girl died on Friday when the woman jumped off a building with the baby strapped to her back, emergency services said.

"The 24 year-old woman and her seven-month old baby died side by side. Her husband said they were having marriage problems," said Percy Morokane, emergency management services spokesman.

He said the woman climbed to the top of the 10-storey building in central Johannesburg where she lived with her husband and child at about 8am and jumped.

"The husband said they were having marriage problems, but were happy. He said he didn't think she would go this far. He is very traumatised," he said.

The husband and wife came to South Africa from Zimbabwe two years ago. The woman was a student at Johannesburg University.

Police are investigating the incident. - Sapa