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 holiday16 DecemberDay of Reconciliation
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.