Fresh from a 50-over series against the India U19s, the host team showed the benefits of a prolonged build-up with an excellent bowling and fielding effort, dismissing New Zealand for 163 and then eclipsing the total with 11.3 overs and five wickets to spare.
With India beating Zimbabwe by 89 runs to remain unbeaten after two outings, the result likely means the young Kiwis will need to beat the sub-continental side tomorrow night to qualify for the quadrangular final.
Having won the toss and elected to bat, New Zealand found themselves in immediate trouble, losing both openers – Simon Keene and Rhys Mariu, within seven deliveries: the former trapped in front and the latter caught while fending at a short ball from Achille Cloete.
Things then went from bad to worse as Ollie White and Fergus Lellman were both run-out (two of three run-outs in the innings) and in between, the skipper Jesse Tashkoff chipped an easy catch into the onside.
At 54 for five, New Zealand received some much-needed stability from Beckham Wheeler-Greenall (40 off 73 balls) and Quinn Sunde (35 off 78), the pair adding 68 for the sixth wicket and boosting the total to 122 for five in the 40th over.
However, when Wheeler-Greenall fell to South Africa’s best bowler, left-arm spinner Odirile Modkoane (four for 24), New Zealand’s innings fell back into decline; the last four wickets falling for 28 runs.
In reply, South Africa effectively wrapped up the result with a first wicket partnership between man of the match Bryce Parsons (63) and Andrew Louw (56) worth 93, and some enterprising batting through the middle of the innings from Tyrese Karelse and Luke Beaufort.
Karelse was bowled by left-arm spinner Adithya Ashok for 20 off 33 balls, while Beaufort struck an unbeaten 21 off 25 balls.
A feature off the chase was the dismissal of Jack Lees for obstructing the field; the left hander using his hand to deflect a bottom-edged miscue from ricocheting on to his stumps.
