| Pos. | Driver | Constructor | Laps | Time | Grid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlos Reutemann | Williams-Ford | 77 | 1.44:54.03 | 2 |
| 2 | Nelson Piquet | Brabham-Ford | 77 | + 20.14 | 1 |
| 3 | Elio de Angelis | Lotus-Ford | 77 | + 1:06.24 | 5 |
| 4 | Keke Rosberg | Fittipaldi-Ford | 76 | + 1 Lap | 4 |
| 5 | John Watson | McLaren-Ford | 76 | + 1 Lap | 15 |
| 6 | Riccardo Patrese | Arrows-Ford | 76 | + 1 Lap | 6 |
| 7 | Eddie Cheever | Tyrrell-Ford | 76 | + 1 Lap | 12 |
| 8 | Ricardo Zunino | Brabham-Ford | 75 | + 2 Laps | 7 |
| 9 | Chico Serra | Fittipaldi-Ford | 75 | + 2 Laps | 13 |
| 10 | Nigel Mansell | Lotus-Ford | 74 | + 3 Laps | 8 |
| 11 | Derek Daly | March-Ford | 74 | + 3 Laps | 17 |
| Ret | Alan Jones | Williams-Ford | 62 | Skirt | 3 |
| Ret | Marc Surer | Ensign-Ford | 58 | Battery | 14 |
| Ret | Andrea de Cesaris | McLaren-Ford | 54 | Accident | 9 |
| Ret | Desiré Wilson | Tyrrell-Ford | 51 | Accident | 16 |
| Ret | Eliseo Salazar | March-Ford | 32 | Gearbox | 19 |
| Ret | Jan Lammers | ATS-Ford | 16 | Brakes | 10 |
| Ret | Siegfried Stohr | Arrows-Ford | 12 | Engine | 11 |
| Ret | Geoff Lees | Theodore-Ford | 11 | Accident | 18 |
Date: 7 February 1981
Circuit: Kyalami
Location: Transvaal Province, South Africa
Circuit Length: 4.104 km
Number of Laps: 77
Race Distance: 316.008 km
Pole Position: Nelson Piquet, Brabham-Ford, 1:12.78
Fastest Lap: Carlos Reutemann, Williams-Ford, 1:13.61