The savanna biome is the most fire prone vegetation type in the world (Dwyer et al 1998). Although the bulk of African savanna areas are located north of the equator, a significant portion of it is located in the Southern African subregion. Investigating fire events at this scale, the emphasis can finally shift away from calculating total emissions from biomass burning. Researchers are now able to focus on the effects of fire on vegetation, and not surprisingly, localised ecological studies now dominate. These range from long term investigations into the impact of different fire regimes on the vegetation of the Kruger National Park in South Africa (Biggs et al 2003), to the active use of fire to control bush encroachment (e.g. Trollope 1980, Sweet 1982).