Father throws six-month-old daughter off roof in stand-off over demolition before police save her life
Police have saved a six-month-old baby girl who was thrown off the roof of a shack in South Africa by her father who was protesting the demolition of an illegal township.
The 38-year-old South African man had climbed on top of his home with his baby daughter in the township of Kwadwesi, near Port Elizabeth, to prevent it from being demolished.
Dozens of police officers had gathered below to try and talk him down from the shack which is on South Africa's eastern cape coast.
One officer had climbed up onto the roof before the man dangled the baby over the edge by her ankle.
It was reported by the Daily Mail that other protesters were heard egging him on by chanting: 'Throw, throw, throw'.
He then started swinging her over the edge at which point the officers rushed forward.
However, before the police officer could grab the father, the baby was hurled into the air.
Thankfully, she was caught by the policemen below and was not injured.
Police arrested her father and charged him with attempted murder.
Police spokesman Captain Andre Beetge said the baby was back with her 35-year-old mother and local social services are ensuring they are in a place of safety.
Captain Beetge said: “At about 10.40am a 38-year-old man climbed onto the roof of one of the structures and held a one-year-old girl in his hands.
“This was done to force the team not to demolish the structure.”
Around 90 shacks were ordered to be demolished at the Joe Slovo township in Kwadwesi and police were sent in to ensure the safety of the demolition team as 150 protesters had had started throwing bricks and closing roads with burning tyres.
The situation was becoming calm until the man climbed onto the roof of his shack with his child.
Captain Beetge said: “Due to the dangerous threat to the safety of the child police set out a plan to rescue the little girl and arrest the male and one of our officers successfully caught the girl as she was flung.
“The 38-year-old father has been charged with the attempted murder of his daughter and the case is being handled by the Family Violence, Child Protection and Sexual Offences unit.”
The Motherwell Cluster Commander Major General Dawie Rabie praised the police actions.
He said: “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 but thankfully the girl was saved.
“The father will face the full force of the Law for his actions.”
The 90 shacks which had been built illegally on unowned land were then taken down.
