Fast bowler Morne Morkel ripped through England’s middle-order with three wickets in six balls, and there was a wicket apiece for pacemen Wayne Parnell and Dale Steyn.
Off-spinner JP Duminy delivered the final blows, taking the last two wickets.
South African captain Graeme Smith said his team had at last got the result they wanted after letting England off the hook in two of the previous tests.
“We feel very happy and, if I’m honest, we could easily be sitting here 3-1 up. We just lacked the knockout blows in Centurion and Cape Town,” Smith told a news conference.
“England showed great resilience and played very well in Durban (to win the test) but we’ve played the better cricket in three of the tests.”
SCOREBOARD
England first innings 180 (D. Steyn 5-51)
South Africa first innings 423 for seven (G. Smith 105, H. Amla 75, A. de Villiers 58, M. Boucher 95; S. Broad 3-83).
England second innings
A. Strauss lbw b Parnell 22
A. Cook c Smith b Morkel 1
J. Trott c De Villiers b Steyn 8
K. Pietersen c Boucher b Parnell 12
P. Collingwood c Morkel b Duminy 71
I. Bell c Kallis b Morkel 5
M. Prior c Smith b Morkel 0
S. Broad c Boucher b Morkel 1
G. Swann c De Villiers b Steyn 20
R. Sidebottom b Duminy 15
J. Anderson not out 1
Extras (lb-6, w-1 nb-6) 13
Total (all out, 42.5 overs) 169
Fall of wickets: 1-6 2-21 3-48 4-84 5-103 6-103 7-104 8-134 9-154 10-169
Bowling: Steyn 14-1-64-2 (nb-2), Morkel 16-5-59-4 (w-1, nb-3), Parnell 8-1-17-2, McLaren 3-1-13-0 (nb-1), Duminy 1.5-0-10-2.
The series ended 1-1.
