Due to poor dating conditions in south Africa, Australopithecus africanus is not well dated. Based on comparisons of faunal (animal) sequences between south and east Africa, it is thought that some of the A. africanus finds may date back as early as 3.0 million years ago. The materials from Sterkfontein, for example, may be that old. Some late A. africanus may date to nearly 1.6 to 1.8 million years ago in east Africa as it fades from the fossil record.

It is important to note that A. africanus has been dated to the period following A. afarensis and lies within the crucial 3.0 to 2.0 million year period.

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