Transport Minister Blade Nzimande has instructed the Civil Aviation Authority, Air Traffic and Navigation Services and SA Search and Rescue to provide the necessary support to Ethiopian counterparts.

Eyewitnesses reported that the Ethiopian Airlines plane that crashed killing 157 people was making a strange rattling noise and trailed smoke and debris as it swerved above a field of panicked cows before hitting earth.

Flight 302 took off from the Ethiopian capital on Sunday morning bound for Nairobi with passengers from more than 30 countries. All on board the Boeing 737 MAX 8 died.

The pilot had requested permission to return, saying he was having problems, but it was too late.

Half a dozen witnesses reported smoke billowing out behind, while four of them also described a loud sound.

At the site, Red Cross workers in masks sifted gently through victims' belongings.

The aircraft was broken into small pieces, the largest among them a wheel and a dented engine. The debris was spread over land roughly the size of two football fields.

Investigators found two black box recorders on Monday which will help piece together the plane's final minutes.

eNCA