The Southern African rock python has a colouration that is similar to its northern relative, however it is described as being "drabber".

[6] Regarding body length and mass, this species exhibits sexual dimorphism, as females are significantly larger and heavier than males.

[7] Of 75 individuals measured in South Africa the longest female was 4.34 m (14.2 ft) long and weighed 53.4 kg (118 lb).

[6] The longest South African python measured 5.8 m (19 ft), recorded in the former Transvaal.

[9] In Where Men Still Dream, the South African journalist and author Lawrence G. Green speculates that the legend of the Grootslang, a mythical being in South African prospector folklore resembling a giant serpent and said to live in the Orange River, most likely originated from sightings of unusually large rock pythons in the river, which were exaggerated into descriptions of a monstrous being.