Eastern Cape Police spokesman Brigadier Thembinkosi Kinana told CNN that police did not know if there were any survivors because it was not clear how many people were at Enyobeni Tavern.
At present, the cause of the incident is being investigated and many people have started searching for their loved ones on the spot.
Sianda Manana, a spokeswoman for the Eastern Cape provincial health department, said the bodies of the victims, who were between 18 and 20 years old, would be taken to the state morgue, where relatives would help identify them.
“We are going to start autopsies immediately so that we can know the probable cause of death,” he told Reuters as recovery work took place on site at Anobeni Tavern.