This species is listed as Least Concern on the basis that it has a wide range. Although it is sensitive to extensive land use change within its range, it is abundant in one reserve and attracted readily to the dung of domestic livestock and is unlikely to have declined at a rate close to qualifying for a threatened listing.

This species was described from Caffraria, an inexact region often considered to be centred on the modern South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the adjoining part of the Eastern Cape. Its range is centred in moist highlands along the upper edge of the Great Escarpment in northeast South Africa, and extending south through Eswatini to the coast of the northeastern Eastern Cape (Davis et al. 2020). A report from Zimbabwe requires validation (Davis et al. 2020).

Subpopulations are probably generally in decline due to the estimated 55-79% transformation of natural grassland cover in moist regions by agroforestry (Low and Rebelo 1998). It is absent from fallow crop fields and improved pasture, and is much less abundant in forest than adjacent grassland (Davis et al. 2020). There has been speculative discussion on the possible influence of the disappearance of indigenous antelope on ball-rolling dung beetles, which is likely to have occurred throughout most of the species' range (Davis et al. 1999). This is not likely to have impacted this species, which has been recorded in large numbers on both cattle and pig dung (Davis et al. 2020).

This large-bodied, diurnally-active, ball-rolling species has been recorded from natural grassland on finer-grained soils where it has been trapped in extremely low numbers on cattle dung. Along a transect extending from the coast to the top of the mountains on latitudes 29-30 °S, this species was trapped at 500 m in grassland of Vernon Crookes Nature reserve (one specimen), but not in forest patches of the same reserve (Davis et al. 1999). A close relative, Scarabaeus westwoodi, occurred from 1,900-2,800 m across this altitudinal transect. In these less transformed upper highlands, S. westwoodi was very much more abundant than S. caffer. In November 2006, prior to the upgrade of a road passing through the Lekgalameetse Reserve in the Wolkberg (24° 11' 41" S 30° 16' 55" E), S. caffer showed patchy abundance on pig and cattle dung at 1,300-1,400 m in natural grassland (cattle dung: 1.6 - 15.1 per trap; pig dung: 1.7-13.8 per trap), but was uncommon in forest patches at the same altitude (cattle dung: 0.1 -0.3 per trap; pig dung: 0.3-0.6 per trap) and at circa 900 m (cattle dung: 0-0.3 per trap; pig dung: 0-0.5 per trap) (Jacobs and Deschodt unpublished data).

Some environmental characteristics for 29 locality records are as follows: elevation 0-2,005 m; mean annual rainfall 594-1,157 mm; mean annual temperature 12.5-21.4 °C (Davis et al. 2020).

As this species is restricted to the moister eastern parts of the South African Highveld, it is threatened by the extensive transformation of natural grassland (Low and Rebelo 1998) by commercial forestry, cultivation, and improved pastures for grazing of livestock. Up to 70% of natural vegetation has been lost from the east Mesic Highveld Grassland (Davis et al. 2020). On a farm in Eastern Mpumalanga (Foggy Valley), the species was recorded in very low numbers in natural grassland, but not at all in fallow fields or improved pastures of Kikuyu grass (A. Davis unpublished data).

There is no use or trade information available for this species.

There are no species-specific conservation actions in place. The moist Highveld grasslands have been extensively transformed over the past, and there is relatively little or no protection in some regions. Although some grassland reserves exist within the upland and highland range occupied by the species, only one reserve is known to have been surveyed for dung beetles. A survey of further reserves and untransformed grassland patches within its known range is essential for an accurate assessment of the conservation status of this species. However, it is known to occur abundantly in the 18,718 ha Lekgalameetse Nature Reserve in the mountain wilderness area of the Wolkberg, Limpopo Province, South Africa.