They lost a final they should have won against India last time out, and will likely be among the contenders again this time round, though certainly not favourites.
If they are to be successful, then quick runs from the middle order on spinning wickets will be key, and in that regard Dewald Brevis has could be key.
The 22-year-old entered the scene as a teenager and had some success early, before a slump in his young career. But he is now back on track and the recent SA20 showed just what a destructive player he is.
His 490 runs in 21 T20 international innings have come at a strike-rate of 171.32 and includes 125 not out against Australia last year.
"I'm now actually back to where I was, how I played when I was 19, or even younger," Brevis was quoted by Cricinfo. "I went a bit away from that. Now it's all about enjoying it, having fun and being yourself; being the small boy who really loves playing. Just watching the ball and hitting it."
He admits that for a spell his natural game suffered as coaches tried to get him to play a certain way, which had the counter effect of making him limit his play.
"Obviously you need to and want to learn, you want to get better and a lot of the time, there's a lot of people - coaches, everyone with good intentions - that wants to give you good advice. And then at the end, if you take all of that advice, it's not to say it's going to work for you," he said.
"And then you take a bit of your natural ability or a bit of the person who you are away. And that's what happened.
"I found my path back to who I am and to just be true to myself and the way I play. There's a lot you can learn, but it's just to be myself, to be true to how I play. Sometimes if you fade a bit away from that, you see how it goes.
“And then when you actually focus on being yourself and true to yourself, it's amazing what happens then, how you actually enjoy the game and how much fun you have and how well you actually do."
Nicknamed ‘Baby AB’ after South Africa’s swashbuckling AB de Villiers, arguably their most explosive limited overs batter, Brevis says while he takes much from his mentor’s game, he also wants to be his own man.
"AB has always been my role model and still is. He still helps me a lot and I still look up to him and the way he played but it's never ever put any pressure on me," Brevis said. "I've never felt any pressure being compared to him. It's always been a privilege and an honour for me because he's my hero. I've always just seen it like that.
“But I always knew it's my journey. I'm Dewald. I'm not someone else. I'll have my own path and my own things that I'll achieve and create and be my own person. It's never been any pressure for me. It's only been a privilege."
If South Africa are to be successful in this tournament, they will need Brevis, among several others, to be at their best. But he certainly has the ability to take them to that long-awaited title.
South Africa also have Afghanistan, New Zealand and the United Arab Emirates in their pool.