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Please will you help me ID this moth. I photographed it last night (Christmas) at about 10.30 pm in my garden, Johannesburg. I can't seem to find it in my Butterfly Guide which I received as a pressie yesterday! The moth was about 10cm wide.

It's a moth and not a butterfly ... so you won't find it in a butterfly book.

It is a Cream-striped owlet (Cyligrammata latona). Interesting that you found it in JHB because that is not in its natural distribution area, which is a broad region along the east coast of SA, including the whole of Mpumalanga en parts of Limpopo. The larvae feed on Acacia species. Attracted to lights, over ripe fruit and ... alcohol! Common in the bushveld and subtropical forests.

I Got the field guide to insects for christmas so i like this thread now, even if it took me ages to find it in the book

Imberbe, is there an explanation as to why it is found outside of its distribution?

One can only speculate.

Acacias do occur in this region, so there are food available.

It might be that it is increasing its distribution area, it may be an incidental occurrence with an individual being transported by wind or other means outside of its natural area, it might be that there is not accurate information available about it real distribution. As in birds, some individuals will always make it to strange areas, but because it is not really adapted to that area, it may not flourish there and will eventually die without propagating.