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Public Holidays in South Africa 2021

South Africa has 14 public holidays in 2021. The first is New Year's Day on Friday, January 1 and the last is Day of Goodwill (observed) on Monday, December 27. The weekend is Saturday and Sunday.

14
Holidays
10
On working days
6
Long weekends
251
Working days

South African public holidays 2021

Add to calendar (.ics) Printable 2021 calendar
Date Holiday
Friday New Year's Day
Sunday Human Rights Day
Monday Human Rights Day (observed)
Friday Good Friday
Monday Family Day
Tuesday Freedom Day
Saturday Workers' Day
Wednesday Youth Day
Monday National Women's Day
Friday Heritage Day
Thursday Day of Reconciliation
Saturday Christmas Day
Sunday Day of Goodwill
Monday Day of Goodwill (observed)

Public holidays under the Public Holidays Act 36 of 1994. A holiday on a Sunday moves to the Monday. Source: South African Government, public holidays; rules checked October 17, 2026.

Long weekends in 2021

Three or more days off in a row, with no leave needed.

  • Fri, Jan 1 – Sun, Jan 3

    New Year's Day

    3 days

  • Sat, Mar 20 – Mon, Mar 22

    Human Rights Day

    3 days

  • Fri, Apr 2 – Mon, Apr 5

    Good Friday, Family Day

    4 days

  • Sat, Aug 7 – Mon, Aug 9

    National Women's Day

    3 days

  • Fri, Sep 24 – Sun, Sep 26

    Heritage Day

    3 days

  • Sat, Dec 25 – Mon, Dec 27

    Christmas Day, Day of Goodwill

    3 days

Take one day off, get a longer break

Book a single day of leave on these dates to join a holiday to the weekend.

  • Take Mon, Apr 26 off

    Sat, Apr 24 – Tue, Apr 27 · Freedom Day

    4 days

  • Take Fri, Dec 17 off

    Thu, Dec 16 – Sun, Dec 19 · Day of Reconciliation

    4 days

Working days in South Africa 2021

Business days and working hours for every month and quarter.

2021 calendar for South Africa

A printable year calendar with these holidays marked.

Countdown timer

Count down to the next holiday, Eid, Christmas or New Year.

South African holidays 2021: questions and answers

How many public holidays are there in South Africa in 2021?

There are 14 South African public holidays in 2021, counting substitute days. 10 of them fall on working days, which leaves 251 working days after 104 weekend days.

What are the South African holidays in 2021?

The South African public holidays in 2021 are New Year's Day (Friday, January 1), Human Rights Day (Sunday, March 21), Human Rights Day (observed) (Monday, March 22), Good Friday (Friday, April 2), Family Day (Monday, April 5), Freedom Day (Tuesday, April 27), Workers' Day (Saturday, May 1), Youth Day (Wednesday, June 16), National Women's Day (Monday, August 9), Heritage Day (Friday, September 24), Day of Reconciliation (Thursday, December 16), Christmas Day (Saturday, December 25), Day of Goodwill (Sunday, December 26) and Day of Goodwill (observed) (Monday, December 27).

How many long weekends are there in South Africa in 2021?

There are 6 long weekends of three days or more in 2021: Jan 1–Jan 3 (3 days, New Year's Day); Mar 20–Mar 22 (3 days, Human Rights Day); Apr 2–Apr 5 (4 days, Good Friday, Family Day); Aug 7–Aug 9 (3 days, National Women's Day); Sep 24–Sep 26 (3 days, Heritage Day); Dec 25–Dec 27 (3 days, Christmas Day, Day of Goodwill).

Which days are the weekend in South Africa?

The weekend in South Africa is Saturday and Sunday. Holidays that fall on a weekend are shown in the list, and the weekday given off instead is listed as well.

Are these holidays the same everywhere in South Africa?

Public holidays under the Public Holidays Act 36 of 1994. A holiday on a Sunday moves to the Monday.

Public holidays 2021 in other countries

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