A video of a man slowly shimmying his way across the Jukskei River to rescue a child stuck midway on a pipe has gone viral on social media.

The man, who has been identified as Vincent Cosa by local publication Alex News, was cheered on as he moved across the pipe towards a lone figure sitting in the centre as the river gushes below.

When he reaches the him, Cosa manages to maneuver the stranded child onto his back, before shimmying back toward the bank of the polluted river. 

Near the end, he gets up onto a cement beam before getting back onto the pipe and balancing his way back toward the grass and waiting crowd who has been cheering him on.