Warner struck a magnificent knock off 152 balls in Cape Town as the tourists closed the first day 331-3 having won the toss and elected to bat.
MATCH REPORT: Warner hits ton, Clarke survives barrage
Donald, South Africa's bowling coach, was impressed with the way Warner had handled himself and felt he answered his critics following comments relating to the treatment of the ball in the opening two matches.
The 27-year-old hit 12 fours and a six in his innings at Newlands before he was caught behind off the spin of JP Duminy, and Donald was suitably impressed.
"There's no mucking around with what Warner does and you know what you're going to get," he said.
"It's a bit like me bowling to Brian Lara – you know that he was going to come at you but he's also going to give you chances.
"He's balanced his batting very well. He played very, very well.
"He puts pressure on the opposition so quickly (with) how fast he scores and the way he scores.
"It's not like he's all about smashing the ball. He actually thinks about it and is quite clever about it."