Public holidays · 2026 & 2027

South Africa Public Holidays 2026

Nationwide public holidays in South Africa for 2026 and 2027 — plan customs clearance, trucking and container free time around them. Weekend: Saturday and Sunday.

Next holiday: Election Day — Wednesday 4 November 2026.

2026

13 public holidays
DateDayHolidayLocal name
1 January 2026ThursdayNew Year's DayNew Year's Day
21 March 2026SaturdayHuman Rights DayHuman Rights Day
3 April 2026FridayGood FridayGood Friday
6 April 2026MondayFamily DayFamily Day
27 April 2026MondayFreedom DayFreedom Day
1 May 2026FridayWorkers' DayWorkers' Day
16 June 2026TuesdayYouth DayYouth Day
10 August 2026MondayNational Women's DayNational Women's Day
24 September 2026ThursdayHeritage DayHeritage Day
4 November 2026WednesdayElection DayElection Day
16 December 2026WednesdayDay of ReconciliationDay of Reconciliation
25 December 2026FridayChristmas DayChristmas Day
26 December 2026SaturdayDay of GoodwillSt. Stephen's Day

Working days in 2026

250 in total
MonthWorking days
January21
February20
March22
April19
May20
June21
July23
August20
September21
October22
November20
December21

2027

12 public holidays
DateDayHolidayLocal name
1 January 2027FridayNew Year's DayNew Year's Day
22 March 2027MondayHuman Rights DayHuman Rights Day
26 March 2027FridayGood FridayGood Friday
29 March 2027MondayFamily DayFamily Day
27 April 2027TuesdayFreedom DayFreedom Day
1 May 2027SaturdayWorkers' DayWorkers' Day
16 June 2027WednesdayYouth DayYouth Day
9 August 2027MondayNational Women's DayNational Women's Day
24 September 2027FridayHeritage DayHeritage Day
16 December 2027ThursdayDay of ReconciliationDay of Reconciliation
25 December 2027SaturdayChristmas DayChristmas Day
27 December 2027MondayDay of GoodwillSt. Stephen's Day

Container landing in South Africa? Work out the last free day in working days with the demurrage calculator, or let Shyppy track discharge and warn you before free time runs out.

Nationwide public holidays from Nager.Date. Regional holidays, port strikes and terminal-specific closures are not included.

Questions

How many public holidays does South Africa have in 2026?

South Africa has 13 nationwide public holidays in 2026; the next one is Election Day on 4 November 2026.

How many working days are there in South Africa in 2026?

250 working days, counting Saturday and Sunday as the weekend and excluding the 13 national public holidays.

Do public holidays count as demurrage free days in South Africa?

Usually yes — most carriers count free time in calendar days, including weekends and holidays. If your tariff or contract says working days, holidays and weekends are excluded and the last free day moves later. The Shyppy demurrage calculator can count either way.

Public holidays in other countries