The South African team finished third in the African Cup of Nations (AFCON), beating the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The match in Abidjan, the capital of Côte d'Ivoire, ended goalless and went to penalties.
South African defender Siyanda Xulu scored the winning goal. After his goal, SA goalkeeper Ronwen Williams saved a shot from DR Congo midfielder Elia Meshack to give Bafana Bafana ("The Boys"), as the South African team is known, the bronze medal.
On their way to the semifinals, where South Africa lost to Nigeria on penalties after a 1-1 draw in regular time, Bafana Bafana defeated Cape Verde on penalties in the quarterfinals and Morocco, one of the tournament favorites, in the 1/8th round.
DR Congo lost to host Côte d'Ivoire in the semifinals after defeating Mali and Senegal in the playoffs.
The final between Nigeria and Côte d'Ivoire will be played on Sunday at 20:00 GMT at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium in Abidjan. The teams met in the group stage on January 18. The host lost 0-1.
The 2023 AFCON tournament was originally scheduled for June-July 2023, but was postponed due to concerns about the rainy season.