A child has been saved by police in South Africa after being thrown from a roof by her father in a desperate bid to stop his home from being demolished.
The incident occurred during a standoff with police in a township in Kwadwesi, near Port Elizabeth on South Africa's eastern cape coast.
The 38-year-old man had climbed onto the roof of a shack with his infant daughter to protest the demolition of dozens of buildings and dangled the young child over the edge of the roof as police tried unsuccessfully to talk him down.
As the events reached a dramatic climax, the man swung the baby over the roof by her ankle, but thankfully she was caught by waiting forces below.
The father was arrested, taken away in handcuffs and was officially charged by police with the attempted murder of his daughter.
The dramatic scene was the result of the ordered demolition of 90 illegally built shacks at the Joe Slovo township in Kwadwesi.
South African police had been sent in to make sure the demolition team were safe as desperate protestors hurled missiles.
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Just as the situation was being brought under control, the man clambered onto a roof with his small child and threatened to throw her off if the demolition of his home was not stopped immediately.
Negotiations with the man failed and the police launched a quick plan which ended successfully in the rescue of the child who was flung from the roof.
In a statement on Facebook, the South African Police Service said: "Today police rescued the life of a one year old toddler after the father of the child threw her from the roof of a shack structure during a demolition process conducted by the Nelson Mandela Metro Municipality.
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"This followed after a demolition operation started at 09:30 in the Joe Slovo West area in Kwadwesi. SAPS and Metro Police were deployed to ensure the safety of the Metro Team doing the demolishing."
The statement added: "The Motherwell Cluster Commander, Major General Dawie Rabie applauded police members for the safe rescue of the child and added 'It is shocking that a father would attempt to sacrifice his own child for the sake of delaying the demolishing of an illegal shack structure.
"He will be facing the full result of the law against his actions."
The demolition team has now destroyed 90 buildings that were built illegally on unowned land.
Featured Image Credit: South African Police ServiceTopics: World News, south africa, News, Protest