Five genera of Hetrodinae are present in southern Africa: Hetrodes Fischer von Waldheim (one species), Acanthoplus Stili (six spp.), Hemihetrodes Pictet (one sp.), Acanthoproctus Karsch (three spp.), and the recently revised Enyaliopsis Karsch that is not treated here. The first four genera are revised, their distributions mapped and their intrageneric phylogenies discussed. The four existing Hetrodes spp. are reduced to subspecies of H. pupus L. A new species of Acanthoplus is descriptionbed from southwestern Angola. Acanthoproctus elaphos Weidner is synonymised with A. cervinus de Haan. The name capreolus Pictet is revived as a subspecies of Acanthoproctus vittatus Walker. Extensive geographical intraspecific morphological variation in several species is documented. Keywords: Bradyporidae, Hetrodinae, Orthoptera, Systematics.