A South African man who was widely considered to be the world's oldest man died at the age of 116 on Saturday.

Fredie Blom, the deceased, is believed to have born in Eastern Cape province in May 1904. His age-related claims, based on his identity documents, though were never verified by Guinness World Records.

A BBC report quoted one of Blom's family members as saying to AFP news agency, "Two weeks ago oupa [grandfather] was still chopping wood."

The family member, Andre Naidoo, reportedly added, "He was a strong man, full of pride. But within days Mr Blom shrank "from a big man to a small person."

Denying any role of COVID-19 in his death, Blom's family said that it was a natural death.