Public holidays in South Africa, 2025
South Africa has 13 public holidays in 2025. 11 fall on a working day and 2 on a weekend — which is the number that decides how many days off you actually get.
13 of 13 holidays
- 01 01 New Year's Day Wednesday
- 21 03 Human Rights Day Friday
- 18 04 Good Friday Friday
- 21 04 Family Day Monday
- 27 04 Freedom Day Sunday · falls on a weekend
- 28 04 Public Holiday Monday
- 01 05 Workers' Day Thursday
- 16 06 Youth Day Monday
- 09 08 National Women's Day Saturday · falls on a weekend
- 24 09 Heritage Day Wednesday
- 16 12 Day of Reconciliation Tuesday
- 25 12 Christmas Day Thursday
- 26 12 Day of Goodwill Friday
2025 at a glance
Every day of the year. Filled squares are public holidays; the pale ones are weekends. A holiday touching a weekend is a long one.
Holidays you have, and days off you get
These are the two different questions this page answers. A country can have a long list of public holidays and still give you fewer days away from work than a neighbour with a shorter list, purely because of which weekday they fall on. Only some countries substitute a weekday when a holiday lands on a weekend; where they do not, the holiday simply passes.
FAQ
How many public holidays does South Africa have in 2025?
13, of which 11 fall on a working day and 2 on a weekend.
Why does it matter which fall on a weekend?
Because a holiday on a Saturday is a holiday you do not get. 2 of South Africa's land on one, and most countries do not move them.