Rescue teams recovered more bodies from victims of severe flooding that hit the Eastern Cape province earlier this week, bringing the death toll to at least 86.
President Cyril Ramaphosa visited the poverty-stricken province on Friday and said the "tragic disaster" was caused by climate change.
Police Minister Senzo Mchunu said on Saturday he had received reports that "the total death toll in the province has risen to 86."
Ramaphosa estimated that floodwaters had exceeded four meters after heavy rains and strong winds battered the Eastern Cape.
Mud and floodwaters submerged thousands of homes, roads, schools, and health facilities.
The area most affected by the flooding and subsequent landslides is the town of Mthatha, about 800 kilometers south of Johannesburg.
The town is close to Qunu, the birthplace of Nelson Mandela, the anti-apartheid hero and former president of South Africa.
Rescue workers went house-to-house searching for bodies or possible survivors after residents were trapped inside their homes overnight.
Among the dead were six children and three adults who were on a school bus that was swept away by the floods.
Three students were rescued after clinging to trees, but four remained missing on Saturday.
Snowfall and heavy rain are common during the winter in South Africa, but coastal areas have been affected by "unprecedented" weather conditions, Ramaphosa said Thursday.
According to the Green Climate Fund, the country is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate variability and change, which increases the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events.
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