Alexander Björk and Scott Jamieson will go head-to-head again on Sunday at Pretoria Country Club with the Tshwane Open set for a thrilling finish.
The duo entered day three in a share of top spot and both recorded rounds of 68 to get to 13 under and hold a one-shot lead over Dean Burmester and Jorge Campillo.
Björk had opened up a two-shot lead at one point but there was a four-way tie as the leading duo came up the last, with a pair of birdies edging them back ahead.
Finn Mikko Korhonen was then at 11 under, a shot clear of South Africans Thomas Aiken and Peter Karmis, England's Oliver Fisher and James Morrison, and Australian Ben Eccles.
Swedish rookie Björk was playing in just his ninth European Tour event while Scotsman Jamieson was seeking a second European Tour win after his victory at the Nelson Mandela Championship presented by ISPS Handa in 2013.
"I'm in a great position to go out and try and win the tournament tomorrow," said Jamieson. "Yet again, I was really good tee to green but I felt as if I left quite a few out there on the greens. I wasn't at my best there but tomorrow's another day and I have a chance of winning."
Björk put his approach on the first to seven feet and opened with a birdie to move a shot ahead. The 26 year old was clearly zoned-in and got within ten feet on the next to make another birdie and the lead was quickly up to two shots.
Jamieson then holed a ten-footer of his own on the third to cut the gap back to one and a run of pars followed before Björk rolled in a 15-foot effort on the seventh to re-establish his cushion.
I'm in a great position to go out and try and win the tournament tomorrow - Scott Jamieson
A Jamieson birdie on the par five ninth then left the tournament finely poised heading into the back nine.
The 33 year old bogeyed the tenth after getting in trouble off the tee and a wedge to tap-in range on the 12th from Björk really applied the pressure but Jamieson holed from 12 feet as both men made birdies.
Jamieson then holed an impressive 18-footer on the next and with Björk dropping his first shot of the day, the pair were tied at the top.
The 15th saw both leading men make bogeys with Jamieson finding a greenside bunker and Björk missing a short one and all of a sudden Burmester and Campillo - both in the clubhouse - shared the lead.
"I'm very pleased with my position," said Björk. "It was a solid round today. I got off to a very good start with two straight birdies. Things were a little bit worse in the middle of the round but I finished with a good birdie on 18, so I'm looking forward to tomorrow.
"I've been in this position a few times on the Challenge Tour, but it's bigger here - more people, more television and everything - so I'm interested to see how I handle it tomorrow. It's going to be a lot of fun to play."
Home favourite Burmester started with a bogey but then made four birdies in a row and added another after a smart up-and-down on the ninth before finishing birdie-birdie with the help of a lengthy putt on the 17th.
Spaniard Campillo had an even better end to his round, going birdie-birdie-eagle over the final three - holing from a bunker on the last - after turning in 33 with three birdies and a bogey.
Korhonen made birdies on the second and third and smart up-and-downs from sand on the par five ninth and 12th in his bogey-free 67.
Fisher was the man to make the first big move, equalling the lowest round of the week with a 62 before the leaders had even teed off with gains on the second, fifth, sixth, seventh, tenth, 12th 16th, 17th and last.
I'm interested to see how I handle it tomorrow. It's going to be a lot of fun to play - Alexander Björk
Eccles had followed an opening 66 with a disappointing 73 on Friday but he bounced back in brilliant fashion with birdies on the second, third, seventh, ninth, 13th, 14th and 17th.
Aiken bogeyed the fourth but then made three birdies in four holes from the eighth before dropping a shot on the 15th and picking it back up on the penultimate hole.
Karmis also recorded four birdies and two bogeys while Morrison made 13 straight pars before dropping a shot on the 14th and finishing birdie-birdie.
Zander Lombard and Peter Uihlein both signed for rounds of 65 to sit at nine under, a shot clear of Grégory Havret, Dawie van der Walt, Justin Walters and Marc Warren.
Trevor Immelman made the seventh hole-in-one of the season at the par three fifth. The 2008 Masters Tournament champion holed a seven iron from 201 yards with what was just his fifth shot on that hole all week.
