South Africa dismissed England for 231 on the first day of the third Test on Wednesday after further failures for captain Michael Vaughan and Paul Collingwood.
Vaughan made a duck and Collingwood, recalled after he was dropped for the second Test, succumbed for four.
South Africa, 1-0 up in the four-match series, were 38 for one at the close after losing skipper Graeme Smith caught at first slip off Andrew Flintoff's second ball for seven.
England, whose insipid first innings performance in the second Test at Headingley set South Africa on the victory trail, lost their first three wickets for just six runs in the space of 21 deliveries after Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss had put on 68 for the first wicket.
Strauss (20) played a flick shot off his hip to Andre Nel, who had come in for the injured Dale Steyn, and trod on his middle stump.
Vaughan was given out caught behind and appeared unhappy with the decision from Pakistan umpire Aleem Dar. Vaughan has scores of 0, 2, 21 and 0 in the series so far.
England's top-ranked batsman Kevin Pietersen was dismissed for four, given out caught at point by Australian umpire Steve Davis, who believed he had deflected an inside edge on to pad. Television replays suggested the ball did not strike his bat.
Top scorer Cook was out for 76 midway into the afternoon session. He had said on Monday he did not want to be dismissed by Nel but fell to his former Essex county team mate when he failed to move his feet and was brilliantly caught at second slip by a diving Jacques Kallis.
Collingwood's struggle continued when he played across a Kallis out-swinger and was caught at first slip by Smith for four in 44 minutes. Durham batsman Collingwood has managed only 96 runs in 10 first-class innings this season.
Ian Bell, playing on his home ground of Edgbaston, was out eight balls before tea for exactly 50 after reaching his 19th Test half-century. Once again he was unable to go on after an impressive start.
England's innings ended in farce with James Anderson (1) and Monty Panesar (1) both run out, leaving Andrew Flintoff stranded on 36 not out, including a six and four from consecutive balls off Makhaya Ntini. Nel finished with three for 47 and Kallis three for 31.
