Rescuers have recovered the bodies of eight pupils after a school bus was washed off a flooded road near Mthatha in Eastern Cape, provincial safety chief Xolile Nqatha said on Wednesday.
Three children were pulled out alive and the search continues as heavy rain and snow from a severe winter front snarl transport and power lines.
President Cyril Ramaphosa sent condolences, warning that climate-driven storms such as the April 2022 disaster that killed about 400 people are striking South Africa with growing force.