'I didn't think he would really throw the baby off the shack roof'

17 April 2018 - 07:29 By Werner Hills
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A Nelson Mandela Bay metro police officer grabs the father as he throws his child off the roof of a shack at the Joe Slovo informal settlement in Port Elizabeth on 12 April 2018.
A Nelson Mandela Bay metro police officer grabs the father as he throws his child off the roof of a shack at the Joe Slovo informal settlement in Port Elizabeth on 12 April 2018.
Image: Werner Hills

HeraldLIVE photographer Werner Hills recalls the chilling moment when a father threw his baby from the roof of his shack.

“My heart skipped a beat. Then I felt it dropping. I was looking at a father threatening to throw his baby from the roof of his shack‚ trying to make sense of why anybody would want to put a child in harm’s way.

“But till that moment when he lifted his young daughter high above his head and threw her‚ I actually did not think he would do it. Or rather‚ I hoped he would not.

“I heard the crowd shouting at the man‚ but only later found out they were encouraging him to throw the baby.

“When metro police constable Luyolo Nojulumba caught the baby‚ that’s when my heart dropped. As a father I thought of my two daughters and how I would do anything to protect them.

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