SA Public Holidays 2026 & Leave Entitlement Guide

South African Public Holidays 2026

Under the Public Holidays Act 36 of 1994, when a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday becomes a public holiday in its place.

School Holidays and religious observances (e.g. Eid, Diwali) are not statutory public holidays unless declared by the President.

Working on a public holiday

You can only be required to work on a public holiday if your contract says so. If you do work:

• If the holiday is on a day you'd normally work, you get double your daily wage
• If the holiday is on a day you wouldn't normally work, you get your normal wage + the time worked at 1.5×
• If you do not work, you still get your normal day's wage

Annual leave

The BCEA gives every full-time employee 21 consecutive days of paid annual leave per leave cycle (15 working days for a Mon–Fri worker, plus weekends). Many employers offer more — 20–25 working days is common in corporate roles.

• Leave accrues at 1.25 days per month
• Employer can decide when leave is taken but must consult you
• On resignation, you must be paid out for unused leave
• You cannot be forced to take leave instead of being paid for it

Sick leave

Over a 36-month sick-leave cycle, you are entitled to the number of days you'd normally work in 6 weeks. For a Mon–Fri worker that's 30 days every 3 years (≈10 days a year).

In the first 6 months of employment you get 1 day of sick leave for every 26 days worked. A medical certificate is required for absences longer than 2 consecutive days, or for more than 2 occasions in 8 weeks.

Family responsibility leave

After 4 months of employment, you get 3 days of paid family responsibility leave per year. You can use it when:

• Your child is born (note: parental leave is also available — see below)
• Your child is sick
• Your spouse, parent, child, or sibling dies

Maternity & parental leave

South African law currently provides:

• Maternity leave: 4 consecutive months unpaid (you can claim from UIF). Start any time from 4 weeks before due date
• Parental leave: 10 consecutive days for the non-birthing parent, also claimable from UIF
• Adoption leave: 10 weeks for the primary adoptive parent (child under 2)
• Commissioning parental leave: 10 weeks where a surrogate has given birth

Note: a 2023 Constitutional Court case (Van Wyk) found the parental-leave regime unconstitutional in part. Parliament is in the process of amending the BCEA to make parental leave more equal — check for updates if this affects you.