How the public holiday tool works
Last updated 10 November 2026
South Africa has 12 public holidays set out in Schedule 1 of the Public Holidays Act. This tool lists them for the year you choose, adds the extra Monday when one falls on a Sunday, and shows the long weekends.
How it works
- Choose a year. The table lists each public holiday with its date and the day of the week.
- The date box starts as today. Change it to count the days from any other date.
- The second table shows long weekends: three or more days off in a row, counting Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
Where the dates come from
Most holidays fall on the same date every year. Good Friday and Family Day move because they follow Easter. The tool works out Easter Sunday for the year you pick, then counts back two days for Good Friday and forward one day for Family Day.
The dates were checked against the Public Holidays Act and the official government list. The register on how we check figures shows the date each source was read.
The Sunday rule
The Act says: Whenever a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is a public holiday.
Sometimes that Monday is already a holiday. If Christmas Day falls on a Sunday, for example, Monday is the Day of Goodwill. The Act then adds nothing new. The government has usually proclaimed another day in that case, and the tool flags it instead of guessing.
One-off holidays
The President can declare extra public holidays, such as for an election. They are not part of the standard list. We add the ones we have seen declared and mark them as one-off.
How long weekends are counted
A long weekend is a run of three or more days off in a row that includes at least one public holiday. A holiday on a Friday or Monday makes a three-day weekend. Good Friday and Family Day together make four days. A holiday on a Tuesday or Thursday does not join a weekend, so it is not counted.
What it does not cover
School holidays and exam dates are set by education departments and are not on this page. Pay on public holidays depends on your contract and the law. Read the disclaimer and check with your employer or the Department of Employment and Labour.
Things to watch
- The statutory list can change if Parliament amends the Act. Extra one-off days are declared with little warning.
- The count of days uses the date on your device.
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