Chris Katongo scored a hat-trick in the ninth, 19th and 20th minutes to seal the impressive win while Benni McCarthy notched South Africa's consolation.

Despite being on level with South Africa on 11 points, Zambia booked their place in the Nations Cup due to their superior head-to-head record over the Bafana Bafana.

South Africa will have to wait to learn whether they will qualify as one of the best runners-up or not.