The University of the Free State has installed the highest weather station in southern Africa on the Amphitheatre in the Maloti Drakensberg at roughly 3 100 metres above sea level. The project was completed by the UFS Afromontane Research Unit with the South African Environmental Observation Network.

The station streams real time data on temperature, wind, rainfall, snow and radiation from one of Africa’s least studied alpine zones. It forms part of a five site network rising from the UFS Qwaqwa campus to the escarpment and will support long term climate, water and biodiversity research.