A list of holidays in South Africa:[1]
The Public Holidays Act (Act No 36 of 1994)[2] determines that whenever any public holiday falls on a Sunday, the Monday following it will be a public holiday.[1]
[edit] Once-off holidays
Since 1994 election days have been declared ad hoc public holidays.
31 December, 1999 and 2 January, 2000 were declared public holidays to accommodate the Y2K changeover, and 3 January, 2000 was automatically a public holiday because the previous holiday was a Sunday.[3]
2 May, 2008 was declared a public holiday when Human Rights Day and Good Friday coincided on 21 March, 2008.[4]
27 December 2011 was declared a holiday by acting president Kgalema Motlanthe as Christmas Day fell on a Sunday which generally makes the following Monday a public holiday. However the following Monday the 26 December 2011 was the Day of Goodwill and therefore decreased the number of paid public holidays for the year.
[edit] Historical public holidays
South Africa's present calendar of public holidays was introduced in 1994. During the period between Union in 1910, and the establishment of the present republic in 1994, the following were the official public holidays:
| Date |
English Name |
| 1 January |
New Year's Day (1910-present) |
| The Friday before Easter Sunday |
Good Friday (1910-present) |
| The Monday following Easter Sunday |
Easter Monday (1910-1979), Family Day (1980-present) |
| 6 April |
Van Riebeeck's Day (1952-1974), Founder's Day (1980-1994) |
| 1st Friday in May |
Workers' Day (1987-1989) |
| 1 May |
Workers' Day (1990-present) |
| 40th day after Easter |
Ascension Day (1910-1993) |
| 24 May |
Empire Day (1910-1951) |
| 31 May |
Union Day (1910-1960), Republic Day (1961-1993) |
| 2nd Monday in July |
Queen's Birthday (1952-1960) |
| 10 July |
Family Day (1961-1974) |
| 1st Monday in August |
King's Birthday (1910-1951) |
| 1st Monday in September |
Settlers' Day (1952-1979) |
| 10 October |
Kruger Day (1952-1993) |
| 16 December |
Dingaan's Day (1910-1951), Day of the Covenant (1952-1979), Day of the Vow (1979-1993), Day of Reconciliation (1994-present) |
| 25 December |
Christmas Day (1910-present) |
| 26 December |
Boxing Day (1910-1979), Day of Goodwill (1980-present) |
[edit] References
[edit] External links
Public holidays in South Africa
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