South Africa

South Africa public holidays 2025

South Africa had 12 nationwide public holidays in 2025. After them, 2025 had 250 working days.

Public holidays in South Africa in 2025
Date	Holiday
January
Jan 1Wednesday	New Year's DayNationwide
March
Mar 21Friday	Human Rights DayNationwide
April
Apr 18Friday	Good FridayNationwide
Apr 21Monday	Family DayNationwide
Apr 27Sunday	Freedom DayNationwide
Apr 28Monday	Freedom Day Day off in lieuNationwide
May
May 1Thursday	Workers' DayNationwide
June
Jun 16Monday	Youth DayNationwide
August
Aug 9Saturday	National Women's DayNationwide
September
Sep 24Wednesday	Heritage DayNationwide
December
Dec 16Tuesday	Day of ReconciliationNationwide
Dec 25Thursday	Christmas DayNationwide
Dec 26Friday	Day of GoodwillNationwide

Nationwide: 12public holidays
By region: 12no regional days
Working days: 250after nationwide days off
Long weekends: 5+2 with 1 day off

Dates come from the open-source holidays project, which compiles each country's statutory holidays from official sources. Governments sometimes add or move days at short notice, so check official announcements for critical plans. See our sources.

Long weekends in 2025

Stretches of three or more days off built from nationwide holidays and the weekend, plus the ones you can make by taking a single day off.

3 daysFri, Mar 21 – Sun, Mar 23 · Human Rights Day
4 daysFri, Apr 18 – Mon, Apr 21 · Good Friday, Family Day
3 daysSat, Apr 26 – Mon, Apr 28 · Freedom Day
4 daysThu, May 1 – Sun, May 4 · Workers' DayTake Fri, May 2 off to join it up
3 daysSat, Jun 14 – Mon, Jun 16 · Youth Day
4 daysSat, Dec 13 – Tue, Dec 16 · Day of ReconciliationTake Mon, Dec 15 off to join it up
4 daysThu, Dec 25 – Sun, Dec 28 · Christmas Day, Day of Goodwill

South Africa public holidays by year

Countries with similar holidays

More for 2025

Frequently asked questions

How many public holidays are there in South Africa in 2025?

12 nationwide public holidays: New Year's Day (Jan 1); Human Rights Day (Mar 21); Good Friday (Apr 18); Family Day (Apr 21); Freedom Day (Apr 27); Workers' Day (May 1); Youth Day (Jun 16); National Women's Day (Aug 9); Heritage Day (Sep 24); Day of Reconciliation (Dec 16); Christmas Day (Dec 25); Day of Goodwill (Dec 26).

Which month has the most public holidays in 2025?

April and December, with 3 nationwide public holidays each. 4 months have none.

How many working days are there in 2025?

250 working days, counting Monday to Friday and taking out the nationwide holidays that fall on working days. Regional holidays and company closures can lower it further.

What does "Day off in lieu" mean?

When a holiday falls on a weekend, the day off moves to a nearby working day, usually the following Monday. Those substitute days are listed separately.