Public holidays in South Africa

In gold, the National Day

The Public Holidays Act (Act No 36 of 1994) states that whenever a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the Monday following it will be a public holiday.

Once-off holidays

Since 1994 election days have been declared ad hoc public holidays:

• National and provincial government elections – 2 June 1999
• National and provincial government elections – 14 April 2004
• Local government elections – 1 March 2006
• National and provincial government elections – 22 April 2009
• Local government elections – 18 May 2011
• National and provincial government elections – 7 May 2014
• Local government elections – 3 August 2016
• National and provincial government elections – 8 May 2019
• Local government elections – 1 November 2021

31 December 1999 and 2 January 2000 were declared public holidays to accommodate the Y2K changeover, and 3 January 2000 was automatically a public holiday because the previous holiday was a Sunday.

2 May 2008 was declared a public holiday when Human Rights Day and Good Friday coincided on 21 March 2008.

27 December 2011 was declared a holiday by deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe as Christmas Day fell on a Sunday which generally makes the following Monday a public holiday. However, the following Monday, 26 December 2011, was the Day of Goodwill and therefore decreased the number of paid public holidays for the year. Initially this day was not to be declared a public holiday but in mid-December the decision was changed.

27 December 2016 was declared a holiday by president Jacob Zuma following a request by the Federation of Unions of South Africa (FEDUSA). The request by FEDUSA was motivated by the fact this year, workers in the country will only have 11 public holidays instead of 12 due to fact that 25 December (Christmas Day) falls on a Sunday. The declaration of 27 December as a public holiday, the Presidency said, will ensure that workers are not unduly disadvantaged because of this unusual event and are still entitled to their 12 paid public holidays.

27 December 2022 was declared a holiday by president Cyril Ramaphosa In view of the unique circumstances around the 2022 calendar, and to uphold relevant labour law principles and practices, President Ramaphosa has declared Tuesday, 27 December, as a public holiday in lieu of Christmas Day. COSATU urged Cyril Ramaphosa to declare December 27 a public holiday, saying it would also show appreciation for the sacrifices workers had made in keeping the economy moving.

15 December 2023 was declared a holiday by president Cyril Ramaphosa due to South Africa winning the Rugby World Cup for the fourth time.