WATCH: Man saves child from perilous Jukskei River

A man risked his life to save a child trapped in the middle of the Jukskei River in Alexandra.

In a Twitter video that was published on Saturday morning by Yusuf Abramjee, the child can be seen sitting on a pole that stretches across the river, too scared to move. The hero moves in, assesses the situation, and moves in front of the child to piggy-back him to safety.

READ MORE: Pretoria man saves father and child in flash flood

Concerned crowds gathered to watch the man slide across the raging river for a tense two minutes, and clap for him as he picks the child up and carries him to the safety of the river shore.

This man needs a medal for bravery: he rescued a child in Alexandra JHB (Jukskei River). WATCH pic.twitter.com/kxSebpZoj9

— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) March 9, 2019

Friday’s bout of rainfall filled the river, creating a strong current that would have swept the child away.

It is not clear if the child’s parents were present or aware of the dramatic rescue, but the child was carried to safety, and will probably think twice before getting close to the dangerous river that could have claimed his life.

According to Alberton Record, in South Africa, one child drowns every day, and these drownings occur mainly in children under the age of 14 years.

Data from the Medical Research Council lists drowning as one of the highest causes of accidental deaths in children under the age of five. Statistics indicate that drowning remains one of the top causes of unnatural childhood deaths in South Africa, as it only takes four minutes without oxygen for irreversible brain damage to occur.

Additional reporting by Caxton Central.

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