South Africa · Pretoria
South Africa public holidays 2027
South Africa 2027 adds Monday 22 March after Human Rights Day on Sunday 21 March, keeps Family Day on Monday 29 March after Good Friday 26 March, and lists an extra Monday 27 December after Day of Goodwill on Sunday.
South Africa 2027 adds Monday 22 March because Human Rights Day is Sunday 21 March. Good Friday is 26 March and Family Day is Monday 29 March, so late March contains both a Sunday-plus-Monday Human Rights pair and the Easter four-day close.
Freedom Day is Tuesday 27 April 2027 — a mid-week commemoration of the 1994 election, not the Monday it was in 2026. Workers’ Day is Saturday 1 May 2027 and does not, on this list, mint an extra Monday.
National Women’s Day is Monday 9 August 2027, so August already has a three-day weekend without a substitute add-on. Heritage Day is Friday 24 September 2027, another natural three-day weekend.
December 2027 ends with Saturday Christmas, Sunday Day of Goodwill, and Monday 27 December listed as a public holiday under the Sunday rule. That Monday is the distinctive year-end weekday off compared with 2026.
Collins Odeny runs this personal project from Kenya. Confirm the Public Holidays Act and any presidential announcement before payroll.
What each public holiday is
New Year's Day
Friday 1 January 2027 is New Year’s Day, so South Africa starts 2027 with a three-day weekend.
Human Rights Day
Sunday 21 March 2027 is Human Rights Day. The Act adds Monday 22 March, which this list shows as a separate public holiday.
Human Rights Day (observed)
Sunday 21 March 2027 is Human Rights Day. The Act adds Monday 22 March, which this list shows as a separate public holiday.
Good Friday
Friday 26 March 2027 is Good Friday, in the same week as the Human Rights Sunday-plus-Monday pair.
Family Day
Monday 29 March 2027 is Family Day. Late March 2027 therefore contains two public-holiday Mondays: 22 March and 29 March.
Freedom Day
Tuesday 27 April 2027 is Freedom Day. Unlike 2026, it is not a Monday. Tuesday is a single weekday lost.
Workers' Day
Saturday 1 May 2027 is Workers’ Day. A Saturday holiday does not add a Monday under the usual Sunday rule.
Youth Day
Wednesday 16 June 2027 is Youth Day. Mid-week commemoration of the Soweto uprising.
National Women's Day
Monday 9 August 2027 is National Women’s Day, already a natural long weekend. No extra Tuesday is required.
Heritage Day
Friday 24 September 2027 is Heritage Day, a three-day weekend without a substitute add-on.
Day of Reconciliation
Thursday 16 December 2027 is Day of Reconciliation, a mid-week close before the Christmas weekend.
Christmas Day
Saturday 25 December 2027 is Christmas Day. The weekday off at year end is the Monday after Sunday Day of Goodwill.
Day of Goodwill
Sunday 26 December 2027 is Day of Goodwill. Monday 27 December appears as the added public holiday.
Day of Goodwill (observed)
Sunday 26 December 2027 is Day of Goodwill. Monday 27 December appears as the added public holiday.
March substitutes and the 2027 year-end Monday
2027 adds Monday 22 March after Sunday Human Rights Day, then runs Easter the same week (Good Friday 26 March, Family Day 29 March).
Fridays in 2027: New Year's Day (Friday, 1 January 2027); Good Friday (Friday, 26 March 2027); Heritage Day (Friday, 24 September 2027). New Year, Good Friday, and Heritage Day are the Friday closes.
Mondays in 2027: Human Rights Day (observed) (Monday, 22 March 2027); Family Day (Monday, 29 March 2027); National Women's Day (Monday, 9 August 2027); Day of Goodwill (observed) (Monday, 27 December 2027). Two of those Mondays exist only because a Sunday holiday sits in front of them.
Workers’ Day on Saturday 1 May 2027 does not add a Monday. Freedom Day on Tuesday 27 April is a single weekday.
Monday 27 December 2027 is the year-end add-on after Sunday Day of Goodwill. That Monday is the December weekday to subtract.
Neither the leave planner nor the working-days calculator replaces payroll. They only apply South Africa’s weekend rule to the 2027 holiday list on this site.
Print a calendar or subscribe
South Africa 2027 exports from the studio; the feed is /feeds/za-2027.ics.
Monday 22 March and Monday 27 December 2027 are the two extra public-holiday Mondays this page highlights. They exist because Sunday dates sit immediately before them.
Open the South Africa 2027 studio to print a wall calendar as PDF, PNG, or SVG. To subscribe, add the South Africa 2027 ICS feed. The leave planner and working-days calculator use this same holiday list.