South Africans returned to work on Tuesday having enjoyed a long weekend thanks to Monday’s Youth Day public holidays.
No doubt, eyes will have quickly turned to the next public holiday on the calendar.
However, there’s some BAD news in that regard!
The next public holiday is scheduled to be National Women’s Day on Saturday, 9 August.
That day will sadly be ‘lost’ as it falls on a Saturday and it will just be a ‘normal’ weekend day.
The Public Holidays Act (Act No 36 of 1994) determines that whenever any public holiday falls on a Sunday, the Monday following it will also be a public holiday.
However, for public holidays that fall on a Saturday, it’s just a ‘normal’ weekend day.
Of course, the fewer days off, the better for business in the country.
The next public holiday which will result in a day off from work will be Wednesday, 24 September when Heritage Day – or Braai Day as it’s become commonly known – will be celebrated.
Why does South Africa celebrate National Women’s Day?
National Women’s Day is a South African public holiday celebrated annually on 9 August.
The day commemorates the 1956 march of approximately 20 000 women to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to petition against the country’s pass laws that required South Africans defined as “black” under The Population Registration Act to carry an internal passport, known as a passbook, that served to maintain population segregation, control urbanisation, and manage migrant labour during the apartheid era.
The march was led by Lillian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Rahima Moosa and Sophia Williams.
Other participants included Frances Baard, a statue of whom was unveiled by Northern Cape Premier Hazel Jenkins in Kimberley (Frances Baard District Municipality) on National Women’s Day 2009.
The first National Women’s Day was celebrated on 9 August 1995.
In 2006, a reenactment of the march was staged for its 50th anniversary, with many of the 1956 march veterans.
Next long weekend
There are FIVE long weekends in 2025.
Four have already passed with the fifth and final one scheduled to be four-day long weekend with Christmas and the Day of Goodwill (Boxing Day) falling on a Thursday and Friday, respectively.
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS IN 2025
Diarise the following public holidays in 2025 and plan your vacations accordingly!
Wednesday, 1 January: New Year’s Day
Friday, 21 March: Human Rights Day
Friday, 18 April: Good Friday
Monday, 21 April: Family Day
Sunday, 27 April: Freedom Day
Monday, 28 April: Public holiday for Freedom Day observed
Thursday, 1 May: Workers’ Day
Monday, 16 June: Youth Day
Saturday, 9 August: National Women’s Day (lost)
Wednesday, 24 September: Heritage Day
Tuesday, 16 December: Day of Reconciliation
Thursday, 25 December: Christmas Day
Friday, 26 December: Day of Goodwill
Average compared to other countries
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.
Workers in most European countries enjoy 10-14 public holidays a year. The United Kingdom, however, has only eight.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Myanmar has 30 public holidays, while Sri Lanka, Iran, India and China have 29, 27, 21 and 17, respectively.
How many public holidays a year do you actually end up working?
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1
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