In the course of revising the subfamily Urgineoideae of the Hyacinthaceae it became evident, based on molecular and morphological data, that some plants usually named ‘Drimia indica’ from northeastern South Africa represent rather an undescribed species of Vera-duthiea. This is the first record of this genus occurring in southern Africa. The new species (V. zebrina) was collected and illustrated some 50 years ago, but never validly published. We here provide data on its morphology, ecology, and distribution.