South Africa will have 14 public holidays in 2023, including an additional two days off to celebrate public holidays which fall over a weekend.
The first additional public holiday will be next week, on 2 January 2023, to observe New Year’s Day, which falls on a Sunday.
According to Business Tech, the Public Holidays Act (Act No 36 of 1994) determines that whenever a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday shall be a public holiday.
This means that 2 January 2023 and 25 September 2023and additional public holidays in terms of the Act.
However, South Africans will ‘lose’ one public holiday next year as the Day of Reconciliation falls on Saturday, 16 December.
Here are all the public holidays in 2023, in terms of the Act:
- Sunday, 1 January: New Year’s Day
- Monday, 2 January: Public holiday New Year’s Day observed
- Tuesday, 21 March: Human Rights Day
- Friday, 7 April: Good Friday
- Monday, 10 April: Family Day
- Thursday, 27 April: Freedom Day
- Monday, 1 May: Workers’ Day
- Friday, 16 June: Youth Day
- Wednesday, 9 August: National Women’s Day
- Sunday 24 September: Heritage Day
- Monday, 25 September: Public holiday Heritage Day observed
- Saturday, 16 December: Day of Reconciliation
- Monday, 25 December: Christmas Day
- Tuesday, 26 December: Day of Goodwill
In a typical year, South Africa has 12 public holidays, which is roughly the average when compared to other countries. The global average for public holidays is 11 days.
The dates on which Good Friday and Easter Sunday fall are determined according to the ecclesiastical moon. That varies each year, but they fall at some point between late March and late April.
Workers in most European countries enjoy 10-14 public holidays a year. The UK, however, has only eight.
Source: Business Tech, The South African, image from Twitter: @radioislam