The father who flung his six-month-old daughter from the roof of a shack will be charged with attempted murder.

Police spokesman Captain Andre Beetge said the Nelson Mandela Metro Municipality began demolishing illegal structures in the Joe Slovo informal settlement at 9.30am‚ and police and metro police were deployed to protect the demolition team.

At about 10.40am the 38-year-old father climbed onto the roof of his shack‚ holding his daughter in hands to try to stop the team from demolishing the shack.

At about 11.45am police and metro police surrounded the shack and tried to negotiate with the father to climb down.

“As the man was grabbed by police‚ he threw his child off the roof. Fortunately‚ a member of the metro police caught the girl and the father was arrested‚” Beetge said.

The Motherwell Cluster Family Violence‚ Child Protection and Sexual Offences unit is investigating.

The child will be returned to her 35-year-old mother.

Motherwell cluster commander Major-General Dawie Rabie 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.”

Meanwhile‚ police said about 150 residents tried to block R75 (Uitenhage Road) by burning tyres and rubble during the demolitions‚ which ended at 1pm after about 90 structures had been destroyed.

The police and metro police were deployed and the road was reopened.