Public holidays 2027
Public holidays 2027 in South Africa
Public holidays. 10 weekdays off for a Monday to Friday week, 4 holidays on the weekend, 251 working days in the year.
| Date | Holiday | Day off? |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 1 January | New Year's Day | Yes |
| Sunday 21 March | Human Rights Day | No, weekend |
| Monday 22 March | Human Rights Day (observed) | Yes |
| Friday 26 March | Good Friday | Yes |
| Monday 29 March | Family Day | Yes |
| Tuesday 27 April | Freedom Day | Yes |
| Saturday 1 May | Workers' Day | No, weekend |
| Wednesday 16 June | Youth Day | Yes |
| Monday 9 August | National Women's Day | Yes |
| Friday 24 September | Heritage Day | Yes |
| Thursday 16 December | Day of Reconciliation | Yes |
| Saturday 25 December | Christmas Day | No, weekend |
| Sunday 26 December | Day of Goodwill | No, weekend |
| Monday 27 December | Day of Goodwill (observed) (By the Act; not on the gov.za list) | Yes |
Download the South Africa 2027 calendar (.ics): one all-day event per row, for Google Calendar, Outlook or a Jira Service Management SLA calendar.
What to know about South Africa's 2027 holidays
The working week here is Monday to Friday, with Saturday and Sunday off.
A holiday on a Sunday moves to Monday, by the Public Holidays Act. The gov.za 2027 list shows Monday 22 March but leaves out Monday 27 December, which the same rule gives for the Day of Goodwill.
Source: South African Government (gov.za), read in November 2026.
Long weekends in 2027
- Fri 1 Jan to Sun 3 Jan: 3 days off in a row
- Sat 20 Mar to Mon 22 Mar: 3 days off in a row
- Fri 26 Mar to Mon 29 Mar: 4 days off in a row
- Sat 7 Aug to Mon 9 Aug: 3 days off in a row
- Fri 24 Sep to Sun 26 Sep: 3 days off in a row
- Sat 25 Dec to Mon 27 Dec: 3 days off in a row
Bridge days: one day of leave, four or more days off
Take one of these working days as leave and it joins a holiday to the weekend. Expect colleagues to have the same idea, so plan cover early.
- Monday 26 April: 4 days off in a row
- Friday 17 December: 4 days off in a row
Working days in 2027
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 20 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 251 |
251 working days, 2,008 hours at 8 a day. Compare every country month by month in Working days 2027, or count a date range with the business days calculator, which can fill in these holidays for you.
Plan the team around them
- Public holidays 2027: all 35 countries side by side, with the weekend rules compared.
- Out of office message generator: works out the day you are back, skipping these holidays.
- OutSync: leave requests in Jira and Confluence, who is out on the board, and approved leave in a shared Google Calendar.
Frequently asked questions
How many public holidays are there in South Africa in 2027?
14 days are listed for 2027. 10 of them are weekdays off for someone working Monday to Friday; 4 fall on the weekend. The dates are from South African Government (gov.za).
How many working days does South Africa have in 2027?
251 working days for a Monday to Friday week, 2,008 hours at 8 hours a day. Regional and optional days are not taken off.