Community at Port Elizabeth court to support father of flung toddler
Residents want the 38-year-old father, charged with child abuse, to be released.
A child was thrown off the roof of a shack on Thursday. Image: Twitter/@leuwellyn
Residents from Joe Slovo informal settlement in Port Elizabeth gathered outside the New Brighton Magistrates’ Court on Monday to support the father who allegedly flung his baby from a shack roof.
The 38-year-old father is expected to make his first appearance in court after he flung his baby from a shack roof last week during a Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality demolishing operation of illegal houses.
The father allegedly used his daughter to force the metro not to take down the structure. The little girl was fortunately caught by a metro police member, and was unharmed during the ordeal.
The baby girl has since been placed in the care of social services.
Residents outside court refused to speak to reporters and sang songs in support of the father who was initially charged with attempted murder. This was subsequently changed to child abuse.
They want him to be released and claimed the media were reporting incorrectly about the incident, even though video footage seemingly shows how the child was flung into the air.
– African News Agency (ANA)
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