South Africa

South Africa public holidays 2028

South Africa has 12 nationwide public holidays in 2028. After them, 2028 has 250 working days. The first is New Year's Day on Saturday, January 1, 2028.

Public holidays in South Africa in 2028
Date	Holiday
January
Jan 1Saturday	New Year's DayNationwide
March
Mar 21Tuesday	Human Rights DayNationwide
April
Apr 14Friday	Good FridayNationwide
Apr 17Monday	Family DayNationwide
Apr 27Thursday	Freedom DayNationwide
May
May 1Monday	Workers' DayNationwide
June
Jun 16Friday	Youth DayNationwide
August
Aug 9Wednesday	National Women's DayNationwide
September
Sep 24Sunday	Heritage DayNationwide
Sep 25Monday	Heritage Day Day off in lieuNationwide
December
Dec 16Saturday	Day of ReconciliationNationwide
Dec 25Monday	Christmas DayNationwide
Dec 26Tuesday	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 2028

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.

4 daysSat, Mar 18 – Tue, Mar 21 · Human Rights DayTake Mon, Mar 20 off to join it up
4 daysFri, Apr 14 – Mon, Apr 17 · Good Friday, Family Day
5 daysThu, Apr 27 – Mon, May 1 · Freedom Day, Workers' DayTake Fri, Apr 28 off to join it up
3 daysSat, Apr 29 – Mon, May 1 · Workers' Day
3 daysFri, Jun 16 – Sun, Jun 18 · Youth Day
3 daysSat, Sep 23 – Mon, Sep 25 · Heritage Day
4 daysSat, Dec 23 – Tue, Dec 26 · Christmas Day, Day of Goodwill

South Africa public holidays by year

2026
2027
2028

2028 holidays in other countries

More (4)Show fewer

More for 2028

Frequently asked questions

How many public holidays are there in South Africa in 2028?

12 nationwide public holidays: New Year's Day (Jan 1); Human Rights Day (Mar 21); Good Friday (Apr 14); Family Day (Apr 17); 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 2028?

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.