Until the 1960's the Bernard Price Institute for Geophysical Research operated several seismological stations for the Geological Survey of South Africa. However, the occurrence of a magnitude 6.3 earthquake in the Southwestern Cape Province on 29 September 1969 caused wide-spread damage in areas around Cape Town, and was probably instrumental in the establishment of a formal National Seismological Network in South Africa. The recorders were PC based, employing event detection. During 1998 the next generation of digital recorders was developed, based on PC104 technology. These recorders can be used in either pseudo-continuous or continuous mode.
Data retrieval is done through a dial-up system, using telephone lines, or cellular modems.
The natural seismicity is concentrated in the Ceres area of the Southwestern Cape, the Koffiefontein area in the Free State, and along an arc that runs through Lesotho and northeast through KwaZulu-Natal. It is also used in site specific analysis for seismic loading design purposes. Mozambique has two stations, with a third to be installed later this year. Upgrades to station equipment and analysis facilities in both Malawi and Mozambique are planned for early 2000.