Desert of southern Africa (8)
I believe the answer is:
kalahari
'desert of southern africa' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for kalahari that I've seen before include "South African desert" , "Southern African desert" , "This desert is a barren plateau in Botswana" , "Southwestern African desert" , "In very dry area" .)