Cholera cases were reported on Friday in the Mozambican city of Beira, adding a risk of deadly illnesses for hundreds of thousands of people.

The embassy has established a task-force led by deputy Ambassador Mietani Chauke to coordinate ongoing efforts across SA to raise assistance for victims.

The Ubhayi informal settlement and several flats in a Belvedere Drive building were flooded after heavy rainfalls in the oThongathi area north of Durban

The death toll in three south-eastern African countries -- Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe -- has climbed to more than 400 people.

The situation in Beira in Mozambique is "boiling" as residents suffer shortages of food, water and other essentials, Rescue South Africa said.

The official death toll from Cyclone Idai has hit 139 in Zimbabwe with fears that the figure could rise as close to 200 people remain unaccounted for.

A team of 25 was already in Malawi, which was also struck by the cyclone, and it had helicopters there assessing the situation

Sasol will donate around R3.5 million for the relief and support of communities severely affected by the tropical cyclone Idai in Mozambique.

Rescue workers plucked survivors to safety from trees and roofs a week after a cyclone ripped through southern Africa and triggered devastating floods

Rescue workers in Mozambique fear that thousands more may have fallen victim to floods which have left a 125km lake after Cyclone Idai.

The death toll after a powerful cyclone in Mozambique stood at 217 and around 15 000 people still needed to be rescued, Minister Celso Correia said.

The cyclone is believed to have claimed about a 1000 lives.

The recent storms provide a grim reminder of the prospect of future tropical cyclones in a region under continued threat from climate change.

The ANC in Gauteng on Wednesday expressed their "deepest condolences" at the loss of life for the people of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi.

Zimbabwe is retrieving and burying bodies as Mozambique begins three days of national mourning for victims of Cyclone Idai.

Cyclone Idai slammed into Mozambique, submerging entire villages and leaving bodies floating in the floodwaters, President Filipe Nyusi said.