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Chasing Sussex’s 119 for seven the Eagles scored 119 for four to send the match to the single over eliminator.
The Eagles faced the first super-over and they scored nine runs thanks to Rilee Rossouw and Ryan McLaren.
Fast bowler De Villiers then held his nerve to bowl Dwayne Smith and Rory Hamilton-Brown with the first two balls of Sussex’s reply.
The win ensures that the Eagles move on to the Super Eight stage of the tournament.
The South African side had to endure a nail-biting finish to their innings as they began the last over needing 12 runs to win the match outright.
An inside edge for four, off the bat of Ryan McLaren, left the Eagles needing five runs to win off the last ball of the match.
McLaren held his nerve to swat the last ball, bowled by medium-pacer Yasir Arafat, to the deep midwicket boundary to force the super over.
The Eagles had looked well in control of the match thanks to a maiden twenty20 half-century from Rilee Rossouw.
The 20-year-old scored 65 off 62 balls, with six fours and two sixes, comfortably eclipsing his previous best T20 score of 11, before he was caught by keeper Andy Hodd off the bowling of off-spinner Rory Hamilton-Brown.
The left-handed Rossouw fell in the 19th over as the Eagles lost four wickets for 34 runs between the 12th and 19th over as Sussex fought their way back into the contest.
Rossouw and Adrian McLaren (16) had put the South African side in a strong position thanks to a 72-run first-wicket stand before McLaren was trapped leg-before by leg spinner Piyush Chawla to start the Eagles’ slide.
Chawla and Hamilton-Brown played pivotal roles in Sussex’s revival with Chawla capturing two for 17 off four overs while Hamilton-Brown picked up two for 15 off three overs.
Earlier, on a low and slow pitch that was not conducive to stroke making, the Eagles’ bowlers maintained a tight line and length to suffocate Sussex’s batsmen.
The Eagles made use of six bowlers with only one, seamer Ryan McLaren, conceding more than six runs to the over.
Pacemen De Villiers and Dillon du Preez were the most successful bowlers for the South African side with De Villiers claiming two for 20 off four overs while Du Preez captured two for 23 off his four overs.
Sussex captain Michael Yardy won the toss and elected to bat but only two batsmen, the right-handed Joe Gatting (25) and Ed Joyce (21), scored more than 20 runs.
The pair combined for the biggest partnership of the innings and they added 29 runs for the sixth wicket before the left-handed Joyce was run out after a throw from De Villiers at mid-on.
Gatting, nephew of former England captain Mike Gatting, fell in the last over when he was caught by Ryan McLaren at the long-on boundary off the bowling of Du Preez.
Sussex’s innings had been given a quick fire start thanks to opening batsman Luke Wright, who blazed 19 runs off 12 balls, before he was bowled by De Villiers.
Teams
Diamond Eagles - Adrian McLaren, Boeta Dippenaar (capt), Morne van Wyk (wk), Rilee Rossouw, Alan Kruger, Ryan McLaren, Ryan Bailey, Dillon du Preez, CJ de Villiers, Thandi Tshabalala, Victor Mpitsang. Sussex Sharks - Chris Nash, Luke Wright, Ed Joyce, Michael Yardy (capt), Rory Hamilton-Brown, Dwayne Smith, Joe Gatting, Piyush Chawla, Yasir Arafat, Andy Hodd (wk), James Kirtley.
