Public holidays
Public holidays in South Africa
South Africa has 13 public holidays in 2026, of which 3 fall on a weekend. Dates below are national holidays; regions, states and individual companies often add their own, so confirm with the person you are scheduling with.
Next public holiday24 SeptemberHeritage Day — in 13 days
202613 dayspublic holidays in total
202714 daysalready scheduled
2026
Thursday 1 JanuaryNew Year's Day
Saturday 21 MarchHuman Rights Dayfalls on a weekend
Friday 3 AprilGood Fridaylong weekend likely
Monday 6 AprilFamily Daylong weekend likely
Monday 27 AprilFreedom Daylong weekend likely
Friday 1 MayWorkers' Daylong weekend likely
Tuesday 16 JuneYouth Day
Sunday 9 AugustNational Women's Dayfalls on a weekend
Monday 10 AugustNational Women's Day (observed)long weekend likely
Thursday 24 SeptemberHeritage Day
Wednesday 16 DecemberDay of Reconciliation
Friday 25 DecemberChristmas Daylong weekend likely
Saturday 26 DecemberDay of Goodwillfalls on a weekend
2027
Friday 1 JanuaryNew Year's Daylong weekend likely
Sunday 21 MarchHuman Rights Dayfalls on a weekend
Monday 22 MarchHuman Rights Day (observed)long weekend likely
Friday 26 MarchGood Fridaylong weekend likely
Monday 29 MarchFamily Daylong weekend likely
Tuesday 27 AprilFreedom Day
Saturday 1 MayWorkers' Dayfalls on a weekend
Wednesday 16 JuneYouth Day
Monday 9 AugustNational Women's Daylong weekend likely
Friday 24 SeptemberHeritage Daylong weekend likely
Thursday 16 DecemberDay of Reconciliation
Saturday 25 DecemberChristmas Dayfalls on a weekend
Sunday 26 DecemberDay of Goodwillfalls on a weekend
Monday 27 DecemberDay of Goodwill (observed)long weekend likely
How to use this
A public holiday does not always mean nobody is working, and a clear calendar does not mean your colleague is free. Treat these dates as a prompt to ask rather than an answer — especially the ones marked as set by moon sighting, where the final date is confirmed only days ahead.