In keeping with the rules of zoological nomenclature, the south-central black rhinoceros should be known as Diceros bicornis keitloa (Smith, 1836), a nomen novum.

The south-central black rhinoceros once ranged from western and southern Tanzania, through Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique, all the way to northern and eastern South Africa.

It is also thought to have inhabited the southern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as northern Angola and eastern Botswana.

Today, however, its population stronghold is in northeastern South Africa, Namibia and to a lesser extent in Zimbabwe, with even smaller numbers in Eswatini's Mkhaya Game Reserve.

By 2001, it had increased to 1,651, and by 2010 it was about 2,200 (with 2,196 in Namibia, 1,684 of these in South Africa, 938 in Kenya, 431 in Zimbabwe, 212 in Tanzania, 58 in Zambia, 56 in Malawi, 48 in Eswatini, 28 in Rwanda, and 23 in Botswana.