When will Diwali be celebrated in South Africa in 2024, and is it a public holiday?
Diwali in South Africa is quickly approaching in 2024, and there’s positive news for those hoping to have it recognised as our 13th public holiday.
Diwali, also called Deepavali, is the Hindu festival of lights and will be celebrated in South Africa in 2024. It’s notable for having variations observed by other Indian religions and lasts for six days. It symbolises the victory of “light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance.” Diwali in South Africa in 2024 takes place on Thursday 31 October 2024 and runs till Friday 1 November.
DIWALI IN SOUTH AFRICA IN 2024
While it currently is not a public holiday in South Africa, government is entertaining a formal application to make it one in the future, reports IOL. In 2025, South Africa will have just 12 public holidays. But you can click HERE to see how to stretch that to well over a month’s leave with some clever planning.
Nevertheless, Diwali in South Africa could still become the 13th public holiday next year. This comes after the Survival Centre in Phoenix made an official application. The entity is a non-profit organisation situated just north of Durban, and the Department of Home Affairs says its request will be considered. That is correct, public holidays fall under the administration of Home Affairs for some reason …
HOW IS A PUBLIC HOLIDAY DECLARED?
Well, as we saw back in 2023 following the Springboks’ famous World Cup win, the final decision needs to be made by the president and approved by the cabinet after public participation. The Phoenix Survival Centre argued in its application that there is an inherent “unfairness in the equality of public holidays in South Africa.” Upon receipt of the application, Home Affairs acknowledged that any amendments require executive decision and cabinet approval. And that the contents therein will be considered as part of department’s policy development and decision-making process.
The Survival Centre questions why Family Day on 21 April 2025 (also known as Easter Monday) and Reconciliation Day on 26 December 2024 (formerly Boxing Day) are reserved for public holidays. Survival Centre leader Reverend Ethan Ramkuar says these days should be done away with and replaced by the likes of Diwali and Eid. Moreover, he says he has relentlessly pursued the matter on behalf of South African Hindus since 2002 and was encouraged to receive the department’s ‘positive’ response.
TOO MANY PUBLIC HOLIDAYS?
Hindu communities say they started the discussion for recognition of Diwali in South Africa as long ago as 2002. However, the response from government has always been that there are already too many public holidays. Encouragingly, the Department of Education has already amended the matric exam timetable so Hindu pupils can observe Diwali in South Africa in 2024.