Rabada is recovering from a hamstring injury and a decision to assess his fitness will be taken during an intra-squad that will be played next week ahead of the first Test that starts on 9 October.
A trio of fast bowlers, Lungi Ngidi, Ottneil Baartman and Kwena Maphaka were ruled out due to injury which has seen Nortje included, even though the paceman last played Test cricket in February 2023.
Nortje has had his own set of injuries to deal with in the last two years and represented at the T20 World Cup in March.
Gerald Coetzee is also recalled to the Test format alongside fellow seamers Marco Jansen, Corbin Bosch, Dane Paterson and Wiaan Mulder.
Keshav Maharaj, Simon Harmer and Senuran Muthusamy form a strong spin trio with the Proteas keen on attacking Australia with two specialists slow-bowlers in the series.
Proteas head coach Shukri Conrad said: "Having a larger bowling group gives us the flexibility to cover all bases.
"We have different options across the squad and the next week will give us an opportunity to determine which combinations are best suited to the conditions.
"We also want to give Kagiso every chance of being available for selection for the first Test, and the two-day game will give us a clearer picture of where he is in terms of his match readiness."
Marques Ackerman is the only uncalled player in the group, after the batter piled on the runs for the South Africa A during the winter in game against England A and Bangladesh A.
"On the batting front, we’ve stuck with our core group," Conrad said. "It's great to have Marques in the squad. The way he has led the SA A side, both as captain and through his performances with the bat, has earned him this opportunity.
"We're looking forward to having him in the Test environment."
Proteas preliminary Test squad: Temba Bavuma (captain), Marques Ackerman, David Bedingham, Corbin Bosch, Gerald Coetzee, Tony de Zorzi, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Wiaan Mulder, Senuran Muthusamy, Anrich Nortje, Dane Paterson, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne
Australian stars Cameron Green and Matt Renshaw appeared to have added their names to the growing injury list during the third and final ODI against the Proteas on Wednesday night.
Australia avoided a 3-0 ODI series defeat as rain brought South Africa’s chase to an early end in Potchefstroom on Wednesday.
Proteas spinner Keshav Maharaj has jumped up to third in the latest ICC ODI bowling rankings after impressing in the first two games of the home series against Australia.
David Miller produced a career-best innings and Temba Bavuma added a century while the spinners dominated for the Proteas as they secured a second consecutive victory over Australia, winning the second ODI by 32 runs at the Wanderers in Johannesburg.
