The 36-year-old was seen as a leading candidate to replace Craig McDermott as Australia's full-time assistant coach earlier this year but eventually lost out to David Saker, the former Victoria Bushrangers coach.
Harris, who played 27 Tests between 2010 and 2015, will work with Saker and Darren Lehmann, Australia's head coach, during the South African tour in a welcome opportunity to gain more coaching experience. Harris has coached the Under-19 Cricket Australia XI and is currently working as an assistant with the National Performance Squad in Queensland.
Adam Griffith, the Western Australian assistant coach, and South African legend Allan Donald filled the role of bowling coach for the recent tours of the Caribbean and Sri Lanka respectively.
"I would have loved to have done it (the assistant coach role that went to Saker), but for me I've still got a lot to learn before I take on a role such as that," Harris told cricket.com.au on Friday (September 2). "If I'm good enough, I'll go as far as I want to go. If I'm not and I need to work on things, then I will. That's the way I'll approach it from now on.
"You're always learning. With the playing side of things, I was always learning until the day I finished," he added. "I think if you sit there and say that you know it all as a coach, you probably should give it up."
Harris said he was excited to work alongside Australia's newly-appointed assistant coach. "(Saker is) a guy I look at as someone I can learn so much off and he's had a lot of success," he said. "He knows the game and he's got some great ideas around the game. So to be able to spend time under him is going to be priceless for me to keep learning."
In March, Harris told Cricbuzz that he wanted to become a coach of Australia's national team one day. "Coaching with Australia is something I want to do, whether that is now or in five years," he had said then. "For the last five years or so of my career, I always thought coaching would be something I would like to get into.
"I am keen to get involved in coaching because I just love the game," he added.
Australia's tour of South Africa starts with an ODI against Ireland on September 27 and will be followed by five ODIs against the hosts.
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