Public Holidays in South Africa 2026 and 2027: Dates and Pay Rules

As of October 2026, South Africa's public holidays this year are the 12 fixed by the Public Holidays Act 36 of 1994, Monday 10 August (because Women's Day fell on a Sunday), and a once-off holiday on 4 November 2026 for the Local Government Elections. The tables below give every date for 2026 and 2027, including the days that move from a Sunday to a Monday.

After the dates, this guide explains the pay rules under section 18 of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997 (the BCEA): when you can be asked to work, when you are owed double pay and when you are not, what happens if a holiday falls during your annual leave, and where to complain if you are underpaid.

This guide is general legal information, not legal advice. For advice on your own situation, consult an attorney, or contact Legal Aid South Africa (0800 110 110) if you cannot afford one.

How South Africa's public holidays are set

Schedule 1 of the Public Holidays Act lists 12 public holidays. Section 2(1) adds the one rule that changes dates from year to year: "whenever any public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday shall be a public holiday."

There is no equivalent rule for Saturdays. A holiday that lands on a Saturday stays on the Saturday, and nothing is added on the Friday or the Monday.

Section 2A, inserted by the Public Holidays Amendment Act 48 of 1995, lets the President declare any day a public holiday by proclamation in the Gazette, for the whole country or part of it. That is how once-off holidays, such as election days, are created. The BCEA defines a public holiday as any day that is a public holiday under the Public Holidays Act, so a once-off day carries the same pay rules as the standard 12.

Good Friday and Family Day move each year with Easter. The government notes that the dates of Good Friday and Easter Sunday are determined according to the ecclesiastical moon.

Public holidays in 2026

The 4 November 2026 election holiday

On 15 September 2026, SAnews, the government news agency, reported that President Cyril Ramaphosa had, "in terms of Section 2A of the Public Holidays Act of 1994, declared Wednesday, 4 November 2026" as a public holiday throughout the country, because it is the date of the Local Government Elections. The declaration was published as Proclamation Notice 346 of 2026 in Government Gazette No. 55352 of 8 September 2026.

The government's standing public holidays page does not list 4 November, because it shows only the 12 statutory days and the Sunday moves. If you are planning shifts or leave from that list alone, add this day.

Because it is a public holiday under the Act, all of the BCEA section 18 rules below apply to it in the same way as Christmas or Freedom Day.

Public holidays in 2027

Why 27 December 2027 is on this list

The government's published 2027 list does not include Monday 27 December. It follows directly from section 2(1) of the Public Holidays Act, though: because 26 December falls on a Sunday in 2027, the following Monday is a public holiday.

This date is worked out from the Act rather than taken from an official announcement, so check the official list nearer the time. We have not seen any once-off holiday declared for 2027 so far, but the President can add one under section 2A at any point.

Can you be made to work on a public holiday?

No, not without agreement. Section 18(1) of the BCEA says: "An employer may not require an employee to work on a public holiday except in accordance with an agreement."

That agreement may be in your contract of employment, a collective agreement or a specific arrangement for the day. Many employees in retail, hospitality, health care and security work public holidays because their contracts provide for it.

There is one narrow exception. Section 6(2) of the BCEA says the section 18(1) protection does not apply to work that is required to be done without delay because of circumstances for which the employer could not reasonably have been expected to make provision, and which cannot be performed by employees during their ordinary hours of work.

How public holiday pay works under BCEA section 18

The pay rule depends on one question: would you ordinarily have worked on the day the holiday falls? The answer puts you into section 18(2) or section 18(3), and the two give different results. Public holiday pay is double only in some cases.

The holiday falls on a day you would ordinarily work: section 18(2)

If you do not work, your employer must pay you at least the wage you would ordinarily have received for that day (s18(2)(a)). You get a paid day off.

If you do work, your employer must pay you either at least double that daily wage, or, if it is greater, your ordinary daily wage plus what you earned for the time worked that day (s18(2)(b)). The second option matters when, for example, you work a long shift that would earn more than two ordinary days' pay.

The holiday falls on a day you would not ordinarily work: section 18(3)

This covers, for example, a Monday to Friday employee who agrees to come in on a Saturday holiday, or a part-time employee who does not normally work that weekday.

If you work, your employer must pay you your ordinary daily wage plus the amount you earned for the work performed that day, "whether calculated by reference to time worked or any other method" (s18(3)). If you do not work on a day you would not ordinarily have worked, no holiday pay is due for it.

A worked example

Take an employee on the national minimum wage of R30.23 per ordinary hour (from 1 March 2026) who works an eight-hour day, Monday to Friday. Their ordinary daily wage is R241.84.

• Freedom Day falls on a weekday they normally work, and they stay home: at least R241.84 for the day.
• They agree to work that same weekday holiday, a normal eight-hour shift: at least R483.68 (double).
• A holiday falls on a Saturday and they agree to work four hours: R241.84 (ordinary daily wage) plus R120.92 (four hours' earnings), so R362.76.
• A holiday falls on a Saturday and they do not work: nothing extra is due.

These figures are illustrations of the BCEA minimums. A contract, collective agreement or sectoral determination may give more.

When and how it is paid

Section 18(4) says public holiday pay must be paid on your usual pay day. If a shift runs across a public holiday and another day, section 18(5) treats the whole shift as worked on the public holiday, unless the greater part of the shift was worked on the other day, in which case the whole shift counts as worked on that other day.

Who the section 18 rules do not cover

Section 18 sits in Chapter Two of the BCEA. Under section 6(1), that chapter does not apply to senior managerial employees, to sales staff who travel to customers and regulate their own hours, or to employees who work fewer than 24 hours a month for the employer.

Higher earners are partly excluded. From 1 May 2026, the earnings threshold is R269,600.90 a year (Notice 7384, Government Gazette No. 54544, 17 April 2026). Employees earning above it are excluded from sections 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17(2) and 18(3).

For public holidays, that means an employee above the threshold loses only section 18(3), the rule for working a holiday they would not ordinarily work. Section 18(1), the ban on compulsory holiday work, and section 18(2), the pay rules for a holiday on an ordinary working day, still apply to them. "Earnings" for the threshold means regular annual remuneration before deductions, and excludes overtime, subsistence and transport allowances and achievement awards.

The BCEA also does not apply at all to members of the State Security Agency or to unpaid volunteers at charitable organisations (s3(1)). For a fuller explanation of who the Act covers, see the Basic Conditions of Employment Act.

Public holidays during annual leave

Section 20(8) of the BCEA says: "An employer must grant an employee an additional day of paid leave if a public holiday falls on a day during an employee's annual leave on which the employee would ordinarily have worked."

So if you take leave over a week that contains Freedom Day and you normally work that weekday, you get one more day of paid leave. If the holiday falls on a day you would not have worked anyway, for example a Saturday for a Monday to Friday employee, no extra day is added.

Annual leave under the BCEA is at least 21 consecutive days per annual leave cycle (or, by agreement, one day for every 17 days worked), not 21 working days. For how leave accrues, is paid and is paid out when you leave a job, see annual leave in South Africa.

Exchanging a public holiday for another day

Section 2(2) of the Public Holidays Act says any public holiday "shall be exchangeable for any other day which is fixed by agreement or agreed to between an employer and employee." A footnote to BCEA section 18 repeats the point.

The key word is agreement. An employer and employee can agree, for example, that an employee who works on Heritage Day takes a different day off instead. An employer cannot impose the exchange on its own, because section 18(1) already prevents it from requiring holiday work without agreement.

If a swap is agreed, it is sensible to put it in writing, including which day replaces the holiday and how that day will be paid.

Sectoral determinations and collective agreements

The BCEA sets a floor. Section 4 makes a more favourable term in a contract, collective agreement or other law prevail, and a bargaining council agreement or sectoral determination can set specific rules for an industry.

If you work in a sector with its own determination, such as domestic work, check its terms as well. See domestic worker rights in South Africa for the rules that apply to domestic workers.

Where to complain if you are not paid correctly

Section 78(1)(a) of the BCEA gives every employee the right to complain to a trade union representative, a trade union official or a labour inspector about an employer's failure to comply with the Act. Labour inspectors work from the Department of Employment and Labour's Labour Centres.

A labour inspector may try to get a written undertaking from the employer to comply, and can help agree and arrange payment of an amount owed. If that does not work, an inspector can issue a compliance order. An inspector cannot issue a compliance order for an amount owed to an employee who earns above the section 6(3) threshold (s70).

You can also refer a claim directly. Under section 73A, an employee earning at or below the threshold may refer a dispute about any amount owed under the BCEA, a contract or a collective agreement to the CCMA, which first tries conciliation and then moves straight to arbitration if the dispute is unresolved. See how to refer a dispute to the CCMA for the form and process; the CCMA call centre is 0861 16 16 16.

Employees above the threshold bring this kind of claim in the Labour Court, the High Court, or, within their jurisdiction, the Magistrates' Court or the Small Claims Court (s73A(3)). Section 79 protects you from being victimised for complaining or for exercising your rights under the Act.

For the wider picture of employment rights, see the South Africa labour law guide, the national minimum wage page, or the South Africa laws hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is 4 November 2026 a public holiday in South Africa?

Yes. President Ramaphosa declared Wednesday 4 November 2026, the date of the Local Government Elections, a public holiday throughout the country under section 2A of the Public Holidays Act, by Proclamation Notice 346 of 2026 (Government Gazette No. 55352, 8 September 2026). It is a once-off holiday for 2026 and does not appear on the standard list of 12 holidays.

What happens when a public holiday falls on a Saturday?

Nothing moves. The Public Holidays Act only shifts a holiday that falls on a Sunday to the following Monday. Saturday holidays in 2026 and 2027 (21 March 2026, 26 December 2026, 1 May 2027 and 25 December 2027) stay on the Saturday, and an employee who does not ordinarily work Saturdays gets no extra day or pay for them.

Will 27 December 2027 be a public holiday?

Under the Act as it stands, yes. The Day of Goodwill, 26 December, falls on a Sunday in 2027, and section 2(1) of the Public Holidays Act makes the following Monday a public holiday. The government's published 2027 list does not show 27 December yet, so it is worth checking the official list nearer the time.

Can my employer make me work on a public holiday?

Not without your agreement. Section 18(1) of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act says an employer may not require an employee to work on a public holiday except in accordance with an agreement. The agreement can be in your contract or a collective agreement. The Act allows a narrow exception for urgent work that could not reasonably have been planned for.

Do I get double pay for working on a public holiday?

Only if the holiday falls on a day you would ordinarily work. Then you must be paid at least double your normal daily wage, or your normal wage plus what you earned for the time worked if that is more. If the holiday falls on a day you would not ordinarily work, section 18(3) gives you your ordinary daily wage plus what you earned for the work done that day.

Am I paid for a public holiday if I do not work?

Yes, if the holiday falls on a day you would ordinarily work. Section 18(2)(a) requires your employer to pay you at least the wage you would ordinarily have received for that day. If the holiday falls on a day you do not normally work, such as a Saturday for a Monday to Friday employee, no pay is due for it unless you work.

Can a public holiday be swapped for another day?

Yes, by agreement. Section 2(2) of the Public Holidays Act lets any public holiday be exchanged for another day fixed by agreement or agreed between the employer and the employee. An employer cannot make the swap on its own.

Who do I complain to if my employer does not pay me correctly for a public holiday?

You can complain to a labour inspector at your nearest Labour Centre or to your trade union, under section 78 of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act. If you earn at or below the R269,600.90 threshold, you can also refer a claim for the unpaid amount to the CCMA under section 73A. Employees above the threshold claim in the Labour Court, the High Court, or the Magistrates' Court or Small Claims Court within their limits.