South Africa has 12 public holidays. Picture: iStock Now that 2026 has dawned, many South Africans will be looking forward to the next holiday, or should that be public holiday, which may not be very good news. Everybody loves public holidays.
It’s a paid holiday; you don’t have to work, and it doesn’t count against your annual leave. However, South Africans are set for a disappointing public holiday calendar in 2026, with workers losing two days of the 12 public holidays currently on theofficial calendar. The shortfall is a result of the Public Holidays Act (Act No 36 of 1994), which provides that when a public holiday falls on a weekend, South Africans will have two fewer days this year.
South Africa’s 12 public holidays begin with New Year’s Day on 1 January and end with the Day of Goodwill on 26 December. The dates on which Good Friday and Easter Sunday fall are determined according to the ecclesiastical moon. That varies each year, but they fall somewhere between late March and late April.
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While the country has 12 public holidays, the actual number of days off depends on which day of the week each holiday falls on. If a public holiday falls on a weekday (Monday to Friday), employees will receive the day off. However, weekends are determined by the Public Holidays Act (Act No 36 of 1994) The act provides that when a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday shall be a public holiday. However, if the public holiday falls on a Saturday and workers who do not normally work on Saturdays have no day off, they effectively lose a day.
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