According to reports by HeraldLIVE, police and municipal officials had on Thursday been demolishing about 150 shacks in the Joe Slovo settlement, which they said had been built on illegally occupied land.

The man, whose house was the last one standing, had been helped on to the roof top by a woman reported to be the girl's mother.

He was on the roof for five minutes, the report says, before he threw the little girl. Other residents had been shouting "throw, throw, throw", it adds.

The little girl was unharmed as police managed to catch her before she hit the ground.

Police spokesperson Andre Beetge is quoted as saying that the girl was doing well and added that they would be "getting social workers to deal with the matter”.