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Rangeland management decisions by pastoralists are largely based on experiences which include but not limited to ecological relationships, animal health and land use practice. Recent droughts have stretched the natural resources, management skills and the livelihoods of pastoralist to their utmost limits. The aim of this research was to gain a better understanding of how pastoralists in the semi-arid and mesic rangelands utilize indigenous knowledge in t heir rangeland management. Face-to-face interviews wer e conducted to establish how South African pastoralists incorporate indigenous knowledge in their rangeland management and monitoring. Data obtained from the interviews was analysed using content analysis. Insights that emerged from the analysis included categorizing the rangeland by using such as vegetation and livestock indicators. Vegetation indicators included plant colour, plant diversity and abundance; while livestock foraging time and livestock health were livestock indicators. In order to allow rang eland recovery, interviewed pastoralists in the mesic rangelands detailed to divide the rangeland into ' soet veld' [characterised by palatable grasses that have low fibre content and maintain their nutrients in the leaves throughout the winter] and ' suur veld' [characterised by unpalatable grasses that have high fibre content and tend to remove their nutrients from the leaves during winter], which are utilized by livestock during different seasons. In the semi-arid regions, pastoralists practice transhumance between different vegetation types ; while allowing rangeland recovery in the grazed area. Pastoralists also explained to incorporate western scientific knowledge with their indigenous knowledge to modify their grazing practices in order to minimize overgrazing and rangeland degradation. Therefore, this study emphasizes that movement towards sustainable rangelands requires transdisciplinary methodologies for an improved understanding of pastoralists' knowledge and management practices of their local rangel ands.