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.

2023 holidays

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

New Year's Day01 Jan 2023 · SundayFalls on Sunday — the Act also makes Monday a public holiday.
New Year's Day (observed)02 Jan 2023 · MondayEnds a long weekend.Moved from Sunday
Human Rights Day21 Mar 2023 · Tuesday
Good Friday07 Apr 2023 · FridayStarts a long weekend.
Family Day10 Apr 2023 · MondayEnds a long weekend.
Freedom Day27 Apr 2023 · Thursday
Workers' Day01 May 2023 · MondayEnds a long weekend.
Youth Day16 Jun 2023 · FridayStarts a long weekend.
National Women's Day09 Aug 2023 · Wednesday
Heritage Day24 Sept 2023 · SundayFalls on Sunday — the Act also makes Monday a public holiday.
Heritage Day (observed)25 Sept 2023 · MondayEnds a long weekend.Moved from Sunday
Day of Reconciliation16 Dec 2023 · SaturdayFalls on Saturday — the Act does not add a Monday holiday.
Christmas Day25 Dec 2023 · MondayEnds a long weekend.
Day of Goodwill26 Dec 2023 · Tuesday

Date	Day	Holiday
01 Jan 2023	Sunday	New Year's DayFalls on Sunday — the Act also makes Monday a public holiday.
02 Jan 2023	Monday	New Year's Day (observed)Moved from SundayEnds a long weekend.
21 Mar 2023	Tuesday	Human Rights Day
07 Apr 2023	Friday	Good FridayStarts a long weekend.
10 Apr 2023	Monday	Family DayEnds a long weekend.
27 Apr 2023	Thursday	Freedom Day
01 May 2023	Monday	Workers' DayEnds a long weekend.
16 Jun 2023	Friday	Youth DayStarts a long weekend.
09 Aug 2023	Wednesday	National Women's Day
24 Sept 2023	Sunday	Heritage DayFalls on Sunday — the Act also makes Monday a public holiday.
25 Sept 2023	Monday	Heritage Day (observed)Moved from SundayEnds a long weekend.
16 Dec 2023	Saturday	Day of ReconciliationFalls on Saturday — the Act does not add a Monday holiday.
25 Dec 2023	Monday	Christmas DayEnds a long weekend.
26 Dec 2023	Tuesday	Day of Goodwill

Next public holidayLocal Government Elections04 Nov 2026 · in 21 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

2023 holidays

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