Public holidays in South Africa 2022
2022 had 13 public holidays and 5 long weekends. One was declared by the President: a public holiday in lieu of Christmas Day on Tuesday 27 December. Workers’ Day fell on a Sunday, so Monday 2 May was a public holiday too. New Year’s Day and Heritage Day fell on a Saturday and didn’t move.
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- 13Public holidays12 in the Act, 1 declared
- 10Weekdays offMonday to Friday
- 5Long weekendsThree days off or more
- 250Working daysWeekdays less holidays
Every public holiday in 2022
| Date | Public holiday |
|---|---|
| 1 JanuarySaturday | New Year’s DayFalls on a Saturday, so it doesn’t move. |
| 21 MarchMonday | Human Rights DayLong weekend |
| 15 AprilFriday | Good FridayLong weekend |
| 18 AprilMonday | Family DayLong weekend |
| 27 AprilWednesday | Freedom Day |
| 1 MaySunday | Workers’ DayLong weekendFalls on a Sunday, so Monday 2 May is a public holiday. |
| 2 MayMonday | Public holiday: Workers’ Day observedLong weekendWorkers’ Day falls on a Sunday, so the Monday is a public holiday. |
| 16 JuneThursday | Youth Day |
| 9 AugustTuesday | National Women’s Day |
| 24 SeptemberSaturday | Heritage DayFalls on a Saturday, so it doesn’t move. |
| 16 DecemberFriday | Day of ReconciliationLong weekend |
| 25 DecemberSunday | Christmas DayLong weekendFalls on a Sunday. The Monday is already the Day of Goodwill, so no day is added. |
| 26 DecemberMonday | Day of GoodwillLong weekend |
| 27 DecemberTuesday | Public holiday in lieu of Christmas DayLong weekendDeclared by the President. The proclamation. |
Long weekends in 2022
- Saturday 19 to Monday 21 March3 days: Human Rights Day
- Friday 15 to Monday 18 April4 days: Good Friday and Family Day
- Saturday 30 April to Monday 2 May3 days: Workers’ Day
- Friday 16 to Sunday 18 December3 days: Day of Reconciliation
- Saturday 24 to Tuesday 27 December4 days: Christmas Day, Day of Goodwill and Public holiday in lieu of Christmas Day
One day of leave, four days off
- Take Friday 17 June off, after Youth Day on Thursday: off from Thursday 16 to Sunday 19 June.
- Take Monday 8 August off, before National Women’s Day on Tuesday: off from Saturday 6 to Tuesday 9 August.
2022 calendar
January 2022
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1, New Year’s Day | 2 | |||||
| 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
| 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| 31 |
February 2022
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 |
March 2022
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21, Human Rights Day | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
April 2022
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15, Good Friday | 16 | 17 |
| 18, Family Day | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| 25 | 26 | 27, Freedom Day | 28 | 29 | 30 |
May 2022
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1, Workers’ Day | ||||||
| 2, Workers’ Day observed | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
| 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 |
| 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 |
| 30 | 31 |
June 2022
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | 14 | 15 | 16, Youth Day | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 |
| 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
July 2022
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
August 2022
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9, National Women’s Day | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| 29 | 30 | 31 |
September 2022
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24, Heritage Day | 25 |
| 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
October 2022
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | |||||
| 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
| 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| 31 |
November 2022
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 |
| 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| 28 | 29 | 30 |
December 2022
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16, Day of Reconciliation | 17 | 18 |
| 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25, Christmas Day |
| 26, Day of Goodwill | 27, Public holiday in lieu of Christmas Day | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
Declared by the President
- Tuesday 27 December 2022: Public holiday in lieu of Christmas Day. Christmas Day fell on a Sunday, and the Monday after was already the Day of Goodwill. Source: Proclamation 108 of 2022, Government Gazette 47753, 15 December 2022.
How the dates are set
South Africa has 12 public holidays, set by the Public Holidays Act 36 of 1994. Ten fall on the same date every year. Good Friday and Family Day move with Easter: they are the Friday before and the Monday after Easter Sunday.
The Sunday rule. When a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the Monday after it is a public holiday too (section 2(1) of the Act). A holiday on a Saturday doesn’t move.
The President can also declare any day a public holiday, by proclamation in the Government Gazette (section 2A). Election days are declared this way.
When Christmas Day falls on a Sunday, the Monday is already the Day of Goodwill, so the Sunday rule adds nothing. The President declared 27 December a public holiday instead in 2011, 2016 and 2022. In 2005 he didn’t, and 27 December 2005 was a normal working day.
Source: the Public Holidays Act 36 of 1994 (Schedule 1 and sections 2(1) and 2A) and the President’s proclamations in the Government Gazette, checked against the government’s published lists on 7 November 2026.