South Africa

South Africa public holidays 2027

South Africa has 12 nationwide public holidays in 2027. After them, 2027 has 251 working days. The first is New Year's Day on Friday, January 1, 2027.

Public holidays in South Africa in 2027
Date	Holiday
January
Jan 1Friday	New Year's DayNationwide
March
Mar 21Sunday	Human Rights DayNationwide
Mar 22Monday	Human Rights Day Day off in lieuNationwide
Mar 26Friday	Good FridayNationwide
Mar 29Monday	Family DayNationwide
April
Apr 27Tuesday	Freedom DayNationwide
May
May 1Saturday	Workers' DayNationwide
June
Jun 16Wednesday	Youth DayNationwide
August
Aug 9Monday	National Women's DayNationwide
September
Sep 24Friday	Heritage DayNationwide
December
Dec 16Thursday	Day of ReconciliationNationwide
Dec 25Saturday	Christmas DayNationwide
Dec 26Sunday	Day of GoodwillNationwide
Dec 27Monday	Day of Goodwill Day off in lieuNationwide

Nationwide: 12public holidays
By region: 12no regional days
Working days: 251after nationwide days off
Long weekends: 6+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 2027

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, Jan 1 – Sun, Jan 3 · New Year's Day
3 daysSat, Mar 20 – Mon, Mar 22 · Human Rights Day
4 daysFri, Mar 26 – Mon, Mar 29 · Good Friday, Family Day
4 daysSat, Apr 24 – Tue, Apr 27 · Freedom DayTake Mon, Apr 26 off to join it up
3 daysSat, Aug 7 – Mon, Aug 9 · National Women's Day
3 daysFri, Sep 24 – Sun, Sep 26 · Heritage Day
4 daysThu, Dec 16 – Sun, Dec 19 · Day of ReconciliationTake Fri, Dec 17 off to join it up
3 daysSat, Dec 25 – Mon, Dec 27 · Christmas Day, Day of Goodwill

South Africa public holidays by year

2026
2027
2028

2027 holidays in other countries

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More for 2027

Frequently asked questions

How many public holidays are there in South Africa in 2027?

12 nationwide public holidays: New Year's Day (Jan 1); Human Rights Day (Mar 21); Good Friday (Mar 26); Family Day (Mar 29); 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).

How many working days are there in 2027?

251 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.