Public holidays in South Africa 2023
2023 had 13 public holidays and 7 long weekends. One was declared by the President: a public holiday for the Rugby World Cup win on Friday 15 December. New Year’s Day and Heritage Day fell on a Sunday, so Monday 2 January and Monday 25 September were public holidays too. The Day of Reconciliation fell on a Saturday and didn’t move.
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- 13Public holidays12 in the Act, 1 declared
- 12Weekdays offMonday to Friday
- 7Long weekendsThree days off or more
- 248Working daysWeekdays less holidays
Every public holiday in 2023
| Date | Public holiday |
|---|---|
| 1 JanuarySunday | New Year’s DayLong weekendFalls on a Sunday, so Monday 2 January is a public holiday. |
| 2 JanuaryMonday | Public holiday: New Year’s Day observedLong weekendNew Year’s Day falls on a Sunday, so the Monday is a public holiday. |
| 21 MarchTuesday | Human Rights Day |
| 7 AprilFriday | Good FridayLong weekend |
| 10 AprilMonday | Family DayLong weekend |
| 27 AprilThursday | Freedom Day |
| 1 MayMonday | Workers’ DayLong weekend |
| 16 JuneFriday | Youth DayLong weekend |
| 9 AugustWednesday | National Women’s Day |
| 24 SeptemberSunday | Heritage DayLong weekendFalls on a Sunday, so Monday 25 September is a public holiday. |
| 25 SeptemberMonday | Public holiday: Heritage Day observedLong weekendHeritage Day falls on a Sunday, so the Monday is a public holiday. |
| 15 DecemberFriday | Public holiday for the Rugby World Cup winLong weekendDeclared by the President. The proclamation. |
| 16 DecemberSaturday | Day of ReconciliationLong weekendFalls on a Saturday, so it doesn’t move. |
| 25 DecemberMonday | Christmas DayLong weekend |
| 26 DecemberTuesday | Day of GoodwillLong weekend |
Long weekends in 2023
- Saturday 31 December to Monday 2 January3 days: New Year’s Day
- Friday 7 to Monday 10 April4 days: Good Friday and Family Day
- Saturday 29 April to Monday 1 May3 days: Workers’ Day
- Friday 16 to Sunday 18 June3 days: Youth Day
- Saturday 23 to Monday 25 September3 days: Heritage Day
- Friday 15 to Sunday 17 December3 days: Public holiday for the Rugby World Cup win and Day of Reconciliation
- Saturday 23 to Tuesday 26 December4 days: Christmas Day and Day of Goodwill
One day of leave, four days off
- Take Monday 20 March off, before Human Rights Day on Tuesday: off from Saturday 18 to Tuesday 21 March.
- Take Friday 28 April off, after Freedom Day on Thursday: off from Thursday 27 to Sunday 30 April.
2023 calendar
January 2023
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1, New Year’s Day | ||||||
| 2, New Year’s 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 |
February 2023
| 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 2023
| 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 2023
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | |||||
| 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7, Good Friday | 8 | 9 |
| 10, Family Day | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 |
| 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
| 24 | 25 | 26 | 27, Freedom Day | 28 | 29 | 30 |
May 2023
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1, Workers’ 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 |
June 2023
| 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 2023
| 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 2023
| 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 2023
| 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, Heritage Day observed | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
October 2023
| 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 2023
| 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 2023
| M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15, Public holiday for the Rugby World Cup win | 16, Day of Reconciliation | 17 |
| 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| 25, Christmas Day | 26, Day of Goodwill | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
Declared by the President
- Friday 15 December 2023: Public holiday for the Rugby World Cup win. Declared to celebrate the Springboks’ Rugby World Cup win and South Africa’s other sporting successes. Source: Proclamation 143 of 2023, Government Gazette 49773, 28 November 2023.
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.
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.