The move comes as nearly 400 people have been reported dead in KwaZulu Natal province, where a subtropical storm, Issa, also destroyed buildings, highways and infrastructure.
In documents submitted to the South African Police Services on Thursday, the Climate Justice Charter Movement (CJCM) wants the government to be found guilty of "culpable homicide" for its acts of omission to "prevent further emissions and to protect the vulnerable from increased inequality and poverty."
CJCM, a coalition of several climate change activists and lobby groups from across the country, is arguing that the South African government is directly responsible for the deaths in KwaZulu Natal.
"We filed a criminal complaint in order to test the strength of our criminal justice system and our democracy," said Vishwas Satgar, the board chairperson of Co-operative and Policy Alternative Centre, a member of the CJCM alliance. "It is the cheaper route than a civil case, and we have galvanised support from legal persons all over the country who agree that it is time to link the climate crisis to the rule of the justice system."
/\ No additional explanation should be necessary.