How many public holidays does South Africa have in 2026?

South Africa has 12 official public holidays in 2026, listed above with their exact dates.

When is the first public holiday in South Africa in 2026?

The first 2026 public holiday in South Africa is New Year's Day, on 1 January.

Where can I plan South Africa long weekends for 2026?

Use the caldays long-weekend planner for South Africa to find every bridge day and turn a few days of leave into a longer break.

caldays

South Africa

Public holiday · Long weekend · World clock — South Africa 2026.

Next public holidayNational Women's Day9 Aug · in 25 days

Holidays

Upcoming public holidays · South Africa

View all 2026 holidays →

Thursday · in 71 days

16Dec

Public holiday

Day of Reconciliation

Wednesday · in 154 days

Saturday · in 164 days

Long weekend

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Heritage Day

24 Sept – 27 Sept

4days

T24

F25

S26

S27

Take 1 day off → get 4 days off

Christmas Day

25 Dec – 27 Dec

3days

F25

S26

S27

Automatic — no leave needed · 3 days off

Country profile

Capital

Pretoria / Cape Town / Bloemfontein

Population

60M

Currency

ZAR (R)

Area

1.22M km²

Language(s)

Zulu, Afrikaans + 9 others

Drives on

Left

TLD

.za

Dial code

+27

Neighboring countries

Namibia Botswana Zimbabwe Mozambique Eswatini Lesotho

South Africa · 2026

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South Africa

National Women's Day · 9 Aug