WATCH | Window cleaner swings from skycraper for a few spine-chilling minutes

It may not have been Tom Cruise from a scene in Mission Impossible but it did seem like an impossible mission for a window cleaner to find his feet on one of the country's highest skyscrapers in the plush seaside town of Umhlanga on Wednesday.

The man grabbed the attention of those below as he battled to hold on to the building while cleaning the windows of the luxurious Pearls of Umhlanga high-rise property. 

"I was at a café waiting for my coffee to arrive when I looked up and this guy was in my direct line of sight. I was watching him and thought, gosh that's the worst job," DA caucus leader in the eThekwini council Nicole Graham told TimesLIVE.

The man then started swinging.

"It was clear that he was trying to move himself. He was kicking himself off the building. He got more momentum and was trying to grab on to the windows. He did that for about five minutes, trying to grab on anything," Graham said.

The man eventually managed to hold on to something and pulled himself on to the balcony.

"The people on the ground started clapping and cheering. The guy on the top sent him down more rope and he then slowly abseiled down," Graham said. 

Those on the ground did not know if the man was really in trouble or if it was "just another day on the job" for him. 

The Pearls Centre management told TimesLIVE that the man, a third party contractor, was replacing a window on the 11th floor when the wind picked up.

"He stopped his work and abseiled down the building to get to safety. He is fine. The contractor advises that the person is highly qualified, trained and skilled for this kind of job. For him, it is just another day at work."

The building is 150m high with 32 floors.