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This study explores three communal beef cattle grazing systems practiced in the Matatiele Local Municipality. Beef cattle production in communal areas remains a potential source to increase the beef supply in South Africa. However, communal beef production faces challenges such as uncertain land tenure, forage shortage and lack of proper management. This leads to systems that are functioning below the optimum possible production level and contributing to environmental degradation, and that are often not economically viable. The identified communal beef cattle grazing systems are, modified the holistic planned grazing (HPG), continuous grazing, and rotational rest grazing. The systems were investigated in terms of their contribution to financial and ecological sustainability. A mixed methods approach was adopted, where the meta-analysis study was conducted to determine the effects of continuous and rotational grazing systems on cattle weight gain and profitability. A case study research was adopted to collect data and techniques included interviews, focus group interview, grazing site observations, telephonic follow-up interviews and artefact identification. The data that was collected include information on how grazing systems are implemented and managed on a daily basis, financial and environmental status. An Ecological index methodology was employed to measure the impact of each grazing system on the environment, by measuring variables such as biomass production, percentage of litter, bare ground, potential grazing capacity, and the veld condition score of the grazing area. The outcomes of the study indicated that the …