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.

2013 holidays

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

New Year's Day01 Jan 2013 · Tuesday
Human Rights Day21 Mar 2013 · Thursday
Good Friday29 Mar 2013 · FridayStarts a long weekend.
Family Day01 Apr 2013 · MondayEnds a long weekend.
Freedom Day27 Apr 2013 · SaturdayFalls on Saturday — the Act does not add a Monday holiday.
Workers' Day01 May 2013 · Wednesday
Youth Day16 Jun 2013 · SundayFalls on Sunday — the Act also makes Monday a public holiday.
Youth Day (observed)17 Jun 2013 · MondayEnds a long weekend.Moved from Sunday
National Women's Day09 Aug 2013 · FridayStarts a long weekend.
Heritage Day24 Sept 2013 · Tuesday
Day of Reconciliation16 Dec 2013 · MondayEnds a long weekend.
Christmas Day25 Dec 2013 · Wednesday
Day of Goodwill26 Dec 2013 · Thursday

Date	Day	Holiday
01 Jan 2013	Tuesday	New Year's Day
21 Mar 2013	Thursday	Human Rights Day
29 Mar 2013	Friday	Good FridayStarts a long weekend.
01 Apr 2013	Monday	Family DayEnds a long weekend.
27 Apr 2013	Saturday	Freedom DayFalls on Saturday — the Act does not add a Monday holiday.
01 May 2013	Wednesday	Workers' Day
16 Jun 2013	Sunday	Youth DayFalls on Sunday — the Act also makes Monday a public holiday.
17 Jun 2013	Monday	Youth Day (observed)Moved from SundayEnds a long weekend.
09 Aug 2013	Friday	National Women's DayStarts a long weekend.
24 Sept 2013	Tuesday	Heritage Day
16 Dec 2013	Monday	Day of ReconciliationEnds a long weekend.
25 Dec 2013	Wednesday	Christmas Day
26 Dec 2013	Thursday	Day of Goodwill

Next public holidayLocal Government Elections04 Nov 2026 · in 20 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 — but 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

2013 holidays

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