Public holidays in South Africa 2027
South Africa has 12 public holidays in 2027. 8 fall on a weekday and 4 on the weekend, with 2 substitute days off marked as observed, which leaves 251 working days out of 365. The weekend is Saturday and Sunday.
12public holidays
10weekday days off, substitutes included
251working days in 2027
104weekend days
When a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is a public holiday, as shown in the list.
Holiday dates 2027
| Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| Friday | New Year's Day | |
| Sunday weekend | Human Rights Day | |
| Monday | Human Rights Day observed | |
| Friday | Good Friday | |
| Monday | Family Day | |
| Tuesday | Freedom Day | |
| Saturday weekend | Workers' Day | |
| Wednesday | Youth Day | |
| Monday | National Women's Day | |
| Friday | Heritage Day | |
| Thursday | Day of Reconciliation | |
| Saturday weekend | Christmas Day | |
| Sunday weekend | Day of Goodwill | |
| Monday | Day of Goodwill observed |
Observed marks a substitute day off granted because the holiday itself falls on a weekend.
Working days per month in 2027
A working day is any day that is neither a weekend day (Saturday and Sunday) nor a public holiday. Holidays that fall on the weekend do not reduce the count.
| Month | Calendar days | Weekend days | Holidays on weekdays | Working days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 2027 | 31 | 10 | 1 | 20 |
| February 2027 | 28 | 8 | 0 | 20 |
| March 2027 | 31 | 8 | 3 | 20 |
| April 2027 | 30 | 8 | 1 | 21 |
| May 2027 | 31 | 10 | 0 | 21 |
| June 2027 | 30 | 8 | 1 | 21 |
| July 2027 | 31 | 9 | 0 | 22 |
| August 2027 | 31 | 9 | 1 | 21 |
| September 2027 | 30 | 8 | 1 | 21 |
| October 2027 | 31 | 10 | 0 | 21 |
| November 2027 | 30 | 8 | 0 | 22 |
| December 2027 | 31 | 8 | 2 | 21 |
| Total 2027 | 365 | 104 | 10 | 251 |
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Long weekends and bridge days in 2027
Breaks of three days or more that need no annual leave at all.
- 3 daysFri 1 to Sun 3 January 2027New Year's Day
- 3 daysSat 20 to Mon 22 March 2027Human Rights Day
- 4 daysFri 26 to Mon 29 March 2027Good Friday, Family Day
- 3 daysSat 7 to Mon 9 August 2027National Women's Day
- 3 daysFri 24 to Sun 26 September 2027Heritage Day
- 3 daysSat 25 to Mon 27 December 2027Christmas Day, Day of Goodwill
Take one day of leave on the date shown and turn a holiday into a longer break.
- 4 daysTake off Monday 26 April 2027 for Sat 24 to Tue 27 April 2027Freedom Day
- 4 daysTake off Friday 17 December 2027 for Thu 16 to Sun 19 December 2027Day of Reconciliation
Questions about 2027 in South Africa
- How many working days are there in South Africa in 2027?
- 251 working days. 2027 has 365 days, 104 of them weekend days and 10 public holidays on weekdays.
- How many public holidays does South Africa have in 2027?
- 12 public holidays, plus 2 substitute days off. 4 fall on the weekend.
- Which 2027 holidays fall on a weekend?
- Human Rights Day (21 March 2027), Workers' Day (1 May 2027), Christmas Day (25 December 2027), Day of Goodwill (26 December 2027).
- What counts as the weekend in South Africa?
- Saturday and Sunday. The calculator lets you change this if your organisation works a different week.
- What about 2028?
- See public holidays in South Africa 2028 or go back to 2026.
Cite or reuse this data
South Africa has 12 public holidays and 251 working days in 2027.
Source: OpenWorkdays, https://openworkdays.com/south-africa/2027/ (dataset holidays 0.103, CC BY 4.0).
Machine readable: JSON, Markdown, ICS, CSV.