[1][3] The Cape giraffe, along with the whole species, were first known by the binomen Camelopardalis giraffa as described by German naturalist Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber in his publication Die Säugethiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Beschreibungen (The Mammals Illustrated from Nature with Descriptions) during his travel in the Cape of Good Hope in 1784.

[4] Following Schreber's description of the South African giraffe, several specimens were described by other naturalists and zoologists since the end of the 18th century under different scientific names, which are all considered synonyms of Giraffa camelopardalis giraffa today: The South African giraffe has dark, somewhat rounded patches "with some fine projections" on a tawny background colour.

[6] After local extinctions in various places, South African giraffes have been reintroduced in many parts of Southern Africa, including in Eswatini.

South African giraffes live in a fission–fusion society system based on factors such as sex, age, season, and kinship.

[6] Approximately 12,000 privately owned farms, ranches, and national parks maintain populations of this giraffe[citation needed].