A partnership of 201 between century makers Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting has allowed Australia to set South Africa 410 to win the second Test.
But Hayden says Australia is still haunted by its 2002 experience here.
South Africa reached 0-29 at stumps on the fourth day when bad light ended play two overs after tea.
Australia is in a strong position to press for victory tonight (AEDT) with the pitch expected to favour Shane Warne.
Hayden said skipper Ponting's decision to declare at 4-307 half-an-hour before tea - a lead of 409 - was based on what happened in Durban in 2002, when South Africa was set 335 to win and made 5-340.
"Australia was spooked a little bit by the fact that we had 340-odd and lost the game," Hayden said after making 102, his 26th Test hundred.
"The (pitch) does tend to get better here. Conditions have been excellent over the past two days of batting, so we need that little bit of money in the bank I think in terms of runs.
"I think Shane will come into his own tomorrow as well. It is going to turn a lot.
"We need a lot of cricket tomorrow."
Ponting equalled a world record overnight with his superb innings of 116 in 273 minutes, to go with his 103 in the first innings.
He joins India's Sunil Gavaskar as the only two players to have scored two centuries in a Test three times.
World No.1 batsman Ponting has scored 557 at 111.40 in three Tests this year and 1238 at 82.53 in nine Tests since last year's Ashes series defeat.
Ponting has leapfrogged Sir Donald Bradman's career mark of 29 hundreds, having scored an amazing seven in his past nine Tests.
The 31-year-old has played 102 Tests and now has 30 tons, trailing only Steve Waugh's 32 among Australia players.
Australia's innings ended in explosive fashion with Adam Gilchrist hitting 24 from nine balls, including 22 off one over from Andre Nel, during which the batsman and bowler traded words.
Gilchrist hit Nel for 22, hitting all but the second ball to the boundary, in the 82nd over before Nel continued his verbal tirade and had to be physically dragged away from the batsman by skipper Graeme Smith.
The incident is sure to come under the scrutiny of match referee Chris Broad.
Gilchrist was caught by Nel at long-on. Nel threw the ball provocatively back towards the batsman, who appeared angry as he left the field with Ponting immediately declaring the innings closed.
The match referee instructed ground staff to remove soil which had been illegally added to the wicket.
They repaired damage done by the ball outside a good length to the left-handed batsman at one end of the wicket.
"I instructed them to remove the extra soil," Broad said.
"Under the rules of the game bowlers' footmarks can be repaired to ensure a flat surface to land on, but anything forward of the five-foot mark can't be repaired."
The final day's play starts half an hour early at 6.30pm (AEDT).
- GREG BUCKLE