The home side had a great opportunity to find the breakthrough 20 minutes in, but Jermaine Seoposenwe failed to finish off Refiloe Jane's pass.
Just a minute later, Jane was involved in another attack as her glancing header from inside the box struck the upright.
Banyana's persistence paid off 26 minutes in after Linda Motlhalo dispossessed a Jamaican defender to rattle the back of the net.
The Reggae girls looked for a response, but the defensive stall marshalled by Andile Dlamini kept the lead in their favour in the final minutes to halftime.
Following the restart, Banyana orchestrated two pacey attacks in quick succession but dismal finishing from among others Jane and Seoposenwe proved their undoing.
With the game swinging on both ends, Banyana saw the need for a change on 56 minutes as Kholosa Biyana checked in for Mamello Makhabane.
Three minutes later, Jamaica levelled after Khadija Shaw's blazing shot flew past Dlamini after a timeous run into the area.
Moments later, Banyana missed a good chance to go level when Leandra Smeda struck the crossbar from penalty spot after the Jamaicans handled in the area.
Banyana continued looking for a second, but Thembi Kgatlana missed a glorious chance to get just that with a dismal finish in the final minutes.
In the end, the two sides, who will both be debuting at the FIFA Women's World Cup, settled for a draw on the day.