Kallis came to the crease with the hosts reeling on 46 for two after being sent into bat and they slumped to 127 for five midway through the afternoon session.
Jacques Kallis defied England with another composed century to lift South Africa to 279 for six on the first day of the third test on Sunday.
Kallis came to the crease with the hosts reeling on 46 for two after being sent into bat and they slumped to 127 for five midway through the afternoon session.
But the experienced all-rounder played a straight bat to everything England threw at him in his 33rd test century, reaching the close on 108 not out with Dale Steyn on 26.
Wicketkeeper Mark Boucher made a fluent 51 and Steyn also shared a crucial partnership with Kallis before bad light ended play with just over six overs remaining.
England seamers James Anderson and Graham Onions removed Ashwell Prince and Hashim Amla in the morning as South Africa limped to 51 for two at lunch.
Captain Graeme Smith, badly dropped by Graeme Swann in the slips on one, fell to Anderson for 30 early in the afternoon session and when Swann struck twice in two balls the touring side, 1-0 up in the series, looked well placed.
AB de Villiers opened his account with a risky single but South Africa recovered as he and Kallis added 76 for the fourth wicket in positive fashion.
De Villiers then gifted his wicket on 36 when he came down the pitch to off-spinner Swann and chipped the ball into Andrew Strauss''s hands at short mid-wicket.
JP Duminy edged a beautiful delivery that drifted in and turned away just enough to find the edge for a golden duck. The left-hander also fell first ball in his previous innings in Durban. T
he double-strike left South Africa in dire straits on 127 for five but Boucher survived the hat-trick ball and stroked seven fours in his fifty before falling lbw to Stuart Broad.
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