Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane said on Sunday that demanding a better salary cannot lead to lives being lost.

On Sunday afternoon she visited the Soweto nurse who was attacked on her way to work at the Chris Hani Baragwaneth hospital.

Lynette Dube is believed to have fallen victim to striking workers on Friday afternoon.

She suffered serious head injuries and was being treated at the ICU ward at Milpark hospital.

Mokonyane met with Dube's family then moved on to visit the hospital.

“Such violence cannot be tolerated“,said Mokonyane. �

The attack was the second of its kind on a nurse in the space of 48 hours during the ongoing public servants strike.

On Thursday, a nurse had been stabbed at a hospital in Pietermaritzburg.

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Five people, including a three-year-old girl, have burnt to death�after the�minibus they were travelling in overturned and burst into flames in the Free State on Sunday afternoon.

The vehicle was travelling on the R70 between Senekal and Ventersburg when�the driver lost control.

Netcare 911's Chris Botha said the wreckage was completely engulfed in flames when paramedics arrived on the scene.

“Tragically five people had burnt to death. Four other people had sustained serious injuries and a further seven escaped from the carnage with only minor injuries. All the survivors were treated on scene and transported to the Senekal Provincial Hospital for further treatment,” he said.

(Edited by Deshnee Subramany)

South Africa's civil servants' strike is turning into a nightmare for some Zimbabwean teachers who migrated to the country during the country's 10 year economic crisis.

Several have told Zimbabwe's state media they are frightened by picketers and are considering going back home.

Zimbabwean teachers working in South Africa said during the week they are caught between a rock and a hard place.

With salaries back home now pegged at around R1300, pay packages south of the Limpopo are still attractive.

Several have told state media in Zimbabwe that they did not want to go on strike but are being forced to.

Going to work is like walking through the valley of death, teacher Takudzwa Marambire said.

There are at least 10,000 Zimbabwean teachers in South Africa, though not all of them will be formally employed in the education sector.

Many fled Zimbabwe during the 10-year�economic crisis, when monthly salaries even at top schools dropped to as low as R130.

(Edited by Deshnee Subramany)

Economists predict�the Reserve Bank�will likely cut the repo rate by 50 basis points later this week.

Market analysts said on Sunday the low inflation levels and low economic growth numbers are two factors which could determine Reserve Bank Governor Gill Marcus's decision�to cut rates on Thursday.

The Reserve Bank slashed rates by 5.5 percentage points between December 2008�and March this year and a further cut could bring interest rates down to six percent.

Chief economist at the Efficient Group Dawie Roodt said a rate cut might not however�be the right thing to do.

(Edited by Deshnee Subramany)

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) said on Sunday strike action by motor workers in the country looks set to continue this week.

Around 70,000 workers at petrol stations, workshops, production houses and dealerships are demanding a 15 percent wage increase while their employer is offering 6.6 percent.

Last week's mass action dealt a blow to�the economy and�there have been reports of intimidation of non-striking workers�at filling stations.

Negotiations with the Retail Motor Industry (RMI) and the Fuel Retailers' Association (FRA) took place over the weekend.

But Numsa's Karl Cloete said more workers will join the mass action on Sunday.

“We had the reopening of negotiations where the employer did not move on any specific demand. On Monday we continue on Monday from 1pm and of course the strike has intensified. More workers are expected,” he said.

(Edited by Deshnee Subramany)