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South Africans will no doubt have eye-balled the calendar for September and noticed another public holiday later in the month. Image: Pexels

Home » Mark your calendars: South Africa’s next public holiday is coming up this month

Mark your calendars: South Africa’s next public holiday is coming up this month

It’s likely that South Africans have already checked the September calendar and spotted the public holiday scheduled for later in the month.

02-09-24 14:16
public holidays
South Africans will no doubt have eye-balled the calendar for September and noticed another public holiday later in the month. Image: Pexels

South Africans have likely scanned the September calendar and noticed an upcoming public holiday later in the month.

Heritage Day will be celebrated on Tuesday, 24 September.

No doubt many South Africans will have put in for leave on that Monday prior, giving themselves a nice four-day long weekend!

The next public holiday after Heritage Day will only come in December when the Day of Reconciliation is celebrated on Monday, 16 December.

Why we celebrate Heritage Day

Heritage Day recognises and celebrates the cultural wealth of our nation.

South Africans celebrate the day by remembering the cultural heritage of the many cultures that make up the population of South Africa.

It’s also often referred to as ‘Braai Day’.

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS IN 2024

South Africa will have 14 public holidays in 2024.

Diarise the following public holidays this year and plan your vacations accordingly!

Monday, 1 January: New Year’s Day

Thursday, 21 March: Human Rights Day

Friday, 29 March: Good Friday

Monday, 1 April: Family Day

Saturday, 27 April: Freedom Day

Wednesday, 1 May: Workers’ Day

Wednesday, 29 May: General elections

Sunday, 16 June: Youth Day

Monday, 17 June: Public holiday Youth Day observed

Friday, 9 August: National Women’s Day

Tuesday, 24 September: Heritage Day

Monday, 16 December: Day of Reconciliation

Wednesday, 25 December: Christmas Day

Thursday, 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.