LESS PUBLIC HOLIDAYS IN 2025
It’s no secret that South Africans love public holidays. Whether it’s just before or after a weekend, or even in the middle of the week chances are we’re going to make it a mini-break.
Unfortunately, next year, we will have one less public holiday after scoring two extra days this year (the national election and an observation day for Youth Day).
We’ll still score one day thanks to Freedom Day’s observing day, but Women’s Day is on a Saturday so we’ll lose one day.
According to the Public Holidays Act No. 36 of 1994, if a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the Monday following it must also be a public holiday. Public holidays that fall on a Saturday don’t get observation days.
In 2025, South Africa will have 12 days of public holidays.
Luckily, the public holidays will mean seven long weekends next year. That means you could start planning those mini-breaks, especially if you’ve got a few things to celebrate.
Business Tech reports that there had previously been a proposal for all public holidays in the country to be observed either on a Monday or Friday, as this proves to be far less disruptive to business operations (and thus more beneficial for the economy).
Image credit: SA People