Public holidays offer many employees some much needed time to rest and take note of important moments in South Africa’s history.
For 2024, from Freedom day to Youth Day there are days coming up that will offer some wiggle room for anyone who needs a break.
1. Freedom Day holiday
On 27 April 2024, South Africa will celebrate Freedom Day on a Saturday to mark 30 years since South Africa’s first democratic elections. While this will not change much for employees who do not work on weekends, the day is the perfect time to reflect on the upcoming 2024 general elections.
2. Worker’s Day holiday
May brings an extra day of rest with Worker’s Day. The holiday is dedicated to recognising worker’s rights and how trade unions and other bodies fought for them during apartheid. In 2024, it will be on a Wednesday giving workers a four day work week.
3. General Elections holiday
For 29 May 2024, people get the chance to make their voices heard through their vote t the 30th general elections. While this is not an annual public holiday, a well planned day can still make it a restful but productive one by going to voting polls early.
4. Youth Day long weekend holiday
16 June 2024 lands on a Sunday and gives the public a long weekend. The day commemorates the students who lost their lives fighting for education in the Soweto Uprising in 1976.
5. National Women’s Day long weekend holiday
The day to call every woman dearest to you is 9 August 2024 on a Friday. The public holiday will give workers another long weekend for 2024. The day marks the time 20 000 women in 1956 marched to Pretoria’s Union buildings in an effort to end the government’s dom pass laws.
6. Heritage Day holiday
South Africans will observe 24 September 2024 (Tuesday) as the day to celebrate one’s cultural background. It highlights the cultural melting pot that is Mzansi. SA History Online notes that it is also known as Heritage day, Braai Day or Shaka Day.
7. Day of Reconciliation holiday
16 December 2024 is the last holiday before the festive season and is on a Monday. It is celebrated to mark how South Africans reconciled over apartheid and injustices of the past. According to SA’s government, in 1838 it was the day Voortrekkers got ready to battle the Zulus and promised to build a church if they won (Day of the Vow). In 1961 it was the day ANC started it military wing Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) after years of passive resistance until the Sharpeville massacre in 1960.