Dates & holidays

South African public holidays

Check statutory public holidays and known proclaimed additions, including the Sunday-to-Monday rule. Spot long weekends for a Monday-to-Friday work week.

1996 holidays

← 1995 Back to 2026 1997 →

Long-weekend notes assume a Monday-to-Friday work week.

New Year's Day01 Jan 1996 · MondayEnds a long weekend.
Human Rights Day21 Mar 1996 · Thursday
Good Friday05 Apr 1996 · FridayStarts a long weekend.
Family Day08 Apr 1996 · MondayEnds a long weekend.
Freedom Day27 Apr 1996 · SaturdayFalls on Saturday. The Act does not add a Monday holiday.
Workers' Day01 May 1996 · Wednesday
Youth Day16 Jun 1996 · SundayFalls on Sunday. The Act also makes Monday a public holiday.
Youth Day (observed)17 Jun 1996 · MondayEnds a long weekend.Moved from Sunday
National Women's Day09 Aug 1996 · FridayStarts a long weekend.
Heritage Day24 Sept 1996 · Tuesday
Day of Reconciliation16 Dec 1996 · MondayEnds a long weekend.
Christmas Day25 Dec 1996 · Wednesday
Day of Goodwill26 Dec 1996 · Thursday

Date	Day	Holiday
01 Jan 1996	Monday	New Year's DayEnds a long weekend.
21 Mar 1996	Thursday	Human Rights Day
05 Apr 1996	Friday	Good FridayStarts a long weekend.
08 Apr 1996	Monday	Family DayEnds a long weekend.
27 Apr 1996	Saturday	Freedom DayFalls on Saturday. The Act does not add a Monday holiday.
01 May 1996	Wednesday	Workers' Day
16 Jun 1996	Sunday	Youth DayFalls on Sunday. The Act also makes Monday a public holiday.
17 Jun 1996	Monday	Youth Day (observed)Moved from SundayEnds a long weekend.
09 Aug 1996	Friday	National Women's DayStarts a long weekend.
24 Sept 1996	Tuesday	Heritage Day
16 Dec 1996	Monday	Day of ReconciliationEnds a long weekend.
25 Dec 1996	Wednesday	Christmas Day
26 Dec 1996	Thursday	Day of Goodwill

Next public holidayLocal Government Elections04 Nov 2026 · in 18 days

Falls on a: Wednesday

Public Holidays Act 36 of 1994

Where this comes from, and what it doesn't cover

Statutory dates plus known proclaimed additions, checked through 22 Sept 2026. The list includes the declared holiday on 4 November 2026. It does not promise a complete history of one-off holidays.

The ten holidays with fixed dates come from the Public Holidays Act 36 of 1994, and so does the rule that makes the Monday a holiday too when one falls on a Sunday. Good Friday and Family Day move with Easter, so we work those out using the same rule the Christian calendar uses. The Act started on 1 January 1995, so the year picker starts there. A Saturday public holiday does not create an extra Monday holiday under this Act.

What this doesn't work out on its own: the President can declare an extra public holiday, usually an election day. There's no rule behind those, so we can't predict one before it's announced. Once the government has officially declared a date, we add it here as its own checked entry. If there's an election coming and it isn't listed above yet, check the government's own holidays page.

South African public holidays

1996 holidays

More in Dates, weather & planning