A spectacular effort from captain Temba Bavuma was not enough on Saturday as the Proteas were beaten by the West Indies in the second international (ODI) in East London.
While Quinton de Kock gave them an explosive start, scoring 48 off 26 balls, Bavuma had to bring the rest of the national team to try and bring them home.
On a flat wicket that provides little for the bowlers, the captain stood up, smashing a career-best 144 runs off 118 balls, including seven sixes and 11 fours.
His efforts went in vain, as the SA team collapsed to 287 all out, in a 48-run defeat.
Earlier, West Indies captain Shai Hope played from the front, scoring a century to lead his team to an impressive total of 335/8.
The tourists started well after winning the toss and electing to bat, with Brandon King and Kyle Mayers sharing 67 runs for the first wicket.
The introduction of spin bowler Bjorn Fortuin to the Proteas attack triggered the collapse of the top order, when Mayers was caught in the boundary for 36 runs off 26 balls.
Recovery efforts
West Indies then lost two wickets for just four runs in the next couple of overs before Hope led the recovery, sharing 87 runs with Nicholas Pooran for the fourth wicket.
Fast bowler Gerald Coetzee (who took 3/57) had Pooran caught by Rassie van der Dussen for 39 runs in the 24th over, but Shai managed to carry the middle order, achieving 13 career ODI centuries.
The captain joined in an 80-run partnership with Rovman Powell before Powell sliced ​​a Coetzee delivery into the stumps and was sent for a walk after making 46 runs.
Shai finished the innings unbeaten with a total of 125 off 115 balls as he paved his way to a dominant win.