'Unofficial' world's oldest man dies in South Africa

Blom's entire family was wiped out by the Spanish Flu pandemic when he was just a teenager.

A South African who was thought to be the oldest man in the world has died at the age of 116.

Fredie Blom's identity documents showed he was born in Eastern Cape province in May 1904, although that was never verified by Guinness World Records.

When he was teenager, his entire family was wiped out by the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. He went on to survive two world wars and apartheid. He went on to raise the three children of his wife of 46 years, Jeanette, as his own, becoming grandfather to five over the years.

Blom told newspapers earlier that there was no special secret to his longevity and that there's only one thing - it is the grace of God.

Fredie Blom's identity documents list his date of birth as 8 May 1904

Blom's family said he died of natural causes in Cape Town on Saturday.

"Two weeks ago oupa [grandfather] was still chopping wood," family spokesman Andre Naidoo told AFP news agency. "He was a strong man, full of pride."

But within days Blom shrank "from a big man to a small person", he added.

Naidoo said the family did not believe his death was related to Covid-19.