South Africa sent UAE into bat and restricted their opponents to 122 for six in their 20 overs. They never looked in trouble in their chase, reaching their target with 40 balls to spare.
Seamer Corbin Bosch (3-12 in four overs) and spinner George Linde (1-17 in four) were miserly with the ball, while fast bowler Anrich Nortje (2-28 in four) also picked up a couple of wickets.
Alishan Sharafu (45 from 38 balls) was the only UAE batter to put up a score of significance.
"I kept it nice and simple," Bosch said at the post-match presentation. "There was some nip early on, we communicated fantastically and that made my life easy.
"I've got great guys that I can learn from and spent some time to see what the batters were doing and made plans accordingly.
"There were nervy early on, but we got a good (practice) outing yesterday and had a good idea about the wicket. The overcast conditions helped.
"Today I just kept it basic and I think it helps me stay nice and calm."
South Africa pushed for the quick win from the off as captain Aiden Markram smashed 28 from 11 balls and Ryan Rickelton 30 from 16.
Dewald Brevis, who has looked out of touch in the tournament, scored 36 from 25 balls with three sixes before he was out with victory in sight.
South Africa are next in action on Sunday with a crunch Super Eight clash against hosts India in Ahmedabad.
"It was great to see the boys grabbing the opportunity with both hand," Markram said. "The bowling unit was really good in executing plans. Today, with a bit of rain and interesting weather around, probably a little less bounce, it was good to get a run around in these conditions.
"In the field, we did let ourselves down with our attitude. Fortunately, we have a little bit of time before the first Super 8 game, which is good for the group. It's about really backing the strengths to the hilt."
South Africa also face West Indies (February 26) and Zimbabwe (March 1) in the Super Eights.