Public Holidays in South Africa 2023 🇿🇦

South Africa has 15 public holidays in 2023. The next public holiday is Heritage Day on 24. Sep. The table below lists every national public holiday with its date and weekday, so you can plan travel, business days and time off in South Africa.

Date	Day	Holiday Name	Category
1. Jan	Sunday	New Year's Day	Public holiday
2. Jan	Monday Long weekend	New Year's Day (observed)	Public holiday
21. Mar	Tuesday Bridge day	Human Rights Day	Public holiday
7. Apr	Friday Long weekend	Good Friday	Public holiday
10. Apr	Monday Long weekend	Family Day	Public holiday
27. Apr	Thursday Bridge day	Freedom Day	Public holiday
1. May	Monday Long weekend	Workers' Day	Public holiday
16. Jun	Friday Long weekend	Youth Day	Public holiday
9. Aug	Wednesday	National Women's Day	Public holiday
24. Sep	Sunday	Heritage Day	Public holiday
25. Sep	Monday Long weekend	Heritage Day (observed)	Public holiday
15. Dec	Friday Long weekend	Public holiday by presidential decree	Public holiday
16. Dec	Saturday	Day of Reconciliation	Public holiday
25. Dec	Monday Long weekend	Christmas Day	Public holiday
26. Dec	Tuesday Bridge day	Day of Goodwill	Public holiday

Long weekends in South Africa 2023

These public holidays fall next to the weekend or just one bridge day away, making it easy to plan an extended break.

New Year's Day (observed) — 2. Jan (Monday) — long weekend
Human Rights Day — 21. Mar (Tuesday) — take Monday off to bridge into the weekend
Good Friday — 7. Apr (Friday) — long weekend
Family Day — 10. Apr (Monday) — long weekend
Freedom Day — 27. Apr (Thursday) — take Friday off to bridge into the weekend
Workers' Day — 1. May (Monday) — long weekend
Youth Day — 16. Jun (Friday) — long weekend
Heritage Day (observed) — 25. Sep (Monday) — long weekend
Public holiday by presidential decree — 15. Dec (Friday) — long weekend
Christmas Day — 25. Dec (Monday) — long weekend
Day of Goodwill — 26. Dec (Tuesday) — take Monday off to bridge into the weekend

Holidays that change date in South Africa

Some holidays are movable and land on a different date each year. Here is how these dates shift from 2023 to 2024.

Good Friday: 7. Apr 2023 → 29. Mar 2024
Family Day: 10. Apr 2023 → 1. Apr 2024

Browse Holidays for Other Years in South Africa:

2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030

Holidays in other countries:

🇿🇦 South Africa 13 holidays
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe 13 holidays
🇸🇿 Eswatini 13 holidays
🇲🇿 Mozambique 10 holidays
🇧🇼 Botswana 15 holidays
🇳🇦 Namibia 13 holidays
🇱🇸 Lesotho 11 holidays

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many public holidays does South Africa have in 2023?

South Africa observes 15 public holidays in 2023. Each is listed above with its date and weekday.

What is the next public holiday in South Africa?

The next public holiday in South Africa is Heritage Day on 24. Sep.

Are public holidays in South Africa the same every year?

Most national holidays recur on the same date each year, while some (such as religious or lunar-calendar holidays) move. This page is updated for 2023.