They had to put up a fight against unfancied opponents Wales on Friday night, but the Proteas held on to open their campaign with a bang on day one of the Netball World Cup in Cape Town.
After getting off to a dominant start in their opening Group C match, the SA team lost control in the second period as Wales fought back.
While their opponents pushed back with some force, however, the hosts maintained their composure and held a 32-24 lead at the half-time break.
The home side managed to extend their advantage by just two goals in the third quarter against a gutsy Wales side, and they had to grit their teeth in the last 15 minutes of the game to walk away with a 61-50 win.
Jamaica make statement
Meanwhile, in the other Group C matches, Jamaica made a statement with a thumping 105-25 victory over Sri Lanka.
In other matches on the opening day of action in the Mother City, 11-time world champions Australia and defending champions New Zealand displayed their class as all 16 sides showed their opening cards at the quadrennial showpiece.
In group A, the Australian Diamonds thumped Zimbabwe 86-30, while Tonga beat Fiji 56-51.
Dominating in the early stages in Group D, title holders New Zealand handed Trinidad and Tobago a crushing 76-27 defeat.
In the same pool as the Silver Ferns, the gutsy Uganda team also made a statement by handing Singapore a 79-37 defeat.
Later Friday night, in Group B, fellow title contenders England were set to face Barbados and Malawi were preparing for battle against Scotland.
Another eight pool matches will be played in the Mother City on Saturday, with South Africa facing Sri Lanka in their second fixture of the tournament at 4pm.
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