# Public holidays in South Africa

Public holidays under the Public Holidays Act 36 of 1994. Is today a holiday, what is on this week, and when is the next day off — worked out for Africa/Johannesburg time.

## South Africa public holidays at a glance

South Africa has 13 public holiday dates in 2026 plus 1 substitute day off: the first is New Year's Day on Thursday 1 January and the last is Day of Goodwill on Saturday 26 December. The same data for 2020–2030 is available as JSON from `/api/holidays?country=ZA&year=2026`.

## About holidays in South Africa

South Africa has twelve public holidays. Under the Public Holidays Act, a holiday that falls on a Sunday is also observed on the Monday that follows, which is listed here as a substitute day. The government sometimes declares extra one-off holidays, for example on election days.

## All South Africa public holidays in 2026

| Date | Holiday |
| --- | --- |
| Thursday 1 January | New Year's Day |
| Saturday 21 March | Human Rights Day |
| Friday 3 April | Good Friday |
| Monday 6 April | Family Day |
| Monday 27 April | Freedom Day |
| Friday 1 May | Workers' Day |
| Tuesday 16 June | Youth Day |
| Sunday 9 August | National Women's Day |
| Monday 10 August | National Women's Day (day off in lieu) |
| Thursday 24 September | Heritage Day |
| Wednesday 4 November | Local Government Elections |
| Wednesday 16 December | Day of Reconciliation |
| Friday 25 December | Christmas Day |
| Saturday 26 December | Day of Goodwill |

Full month-by-month calendars: [2026 calendar](https://whathappen.today/holidays/south-africa/2026/) · [2027 calendar](https://whathappen.today/holidays/south-africa/2027/).

## Sources

- [South African Government — Public holidays](https://www.gov.za/about-sa/public-holidays) — official list to confirm dates (checked 2026-10-10)
- [vacanza/holidays (open-source holiday rules, MIT licence)](https://github.com/vacanza/holidays) — holiday rules used to build the lists (checked 2026-10-10)

## Questions and answers

How many public holidays does South Africa have in 2026?

This list has 13 holiday dates in 2026, plus 1 substitute day off. It covers public holidays under the Public Holidays Act 36 of 1994.

Which South Africa holidays fall on a weekend in 2026?

Human Rights Day (Saturday 21 March); National Women's Day (Sunday 9 August); Day of Goodwill (Saturday 26 December). Where the rules give a substitute day off, it is listed separately.

Which dates could still change?

None of the 2026 dates depend on a moon sighting, but governments can still add one-off holidays during the year.

Which time zone does “today” use on this page?

Africa/Johannesburg, the country's time zone. The status box at the top is worked out in your browser from your device clock.

Where are the official dates published?

[South African Government — Public holidays](https://www.gov.za/about-sa/public-holidays). When this page and the official source disagree, the official source is right.

For reference only — governments can add, move or cancel holidays at short notice. Confirm with the official source: [South African Government — Public holidays](https://www.gov.za/about-sa/public-holidays). Data: the open-source `holidays` library (MIT), spot-checked against official 2026 calendars.

Last updated: 15 October 2026

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Web page: https://whathappen.today/holidays/south-africa/