South Africa has more public holidays than most countries, because of their divisive history.

Public holidays in the past used to reflect the beliefs of the ruling white minority government. The present government wants public holidays to be for all the people of South Africa.

So many of the holidays like Youth Day, Women’s Day, Human Rights Day and Workers Day all have a historical significance.

Many of the existing holidays have had name changes, like the Day of Reconciliation and Family Day to better reflect the culture melting pot of South Africa.

Other holidays have a definite “nation building” function. Freedom Day celebrates the day all South Africans went to the poles in the first democratic election. Heritage Day encourages South Africans to learn a little more about each others’ culture.

Holidays that underwent no changes are the Christian celebrations of Good Friday and Christmas Day. Easter Monday has been changed to Family Day to be more reflective of SA’s Religious diversity.

Cape Town has a great amount of religious tolerance. Jewish and Islamic holidays are all celebrated here. Everyday the local newspapers have a verse from the Bible, the Koran and the Talmud.

South African public holidays give South Africans a chance to reflect on the past and work toward a common future. It’s a tough task when you consider there are 11 official languages and seriously conflict-ridden history.

Molo Says: Everyone likes a day away from work and South Africans are no different, but on the next public holiday take a minute to reflect on what the day means. Why not visit one of the sites of the struggle in our culture and heritage section to get a thorough understating of what the majority of South Africans did to earn these public holidays. It will give you an even better reason to celebrate this awesome country!

Cape Town and South Africa always have great events, festivals and rallies on all public holidays. Discover things to do, both outdoors and inside on public holidays and read about some all year round events at CapeTownMagazine.com

Learn more about South African Public Holidays below:

New Years Day 1 January (Public Holiday)
Second New Year 2nd January (Event, not a Public Holiday)
Human Rights Day 21 March (Public Holiday)
Good Friday (Public Holiday)
Family Day (Public Holiday)
Freedom Day 27 April (Public Holiday)
Workers Day 1 May (Public Holiday)
Youth Day 16 June (Public Holiday)
National Women's Day 9 August (Public Holiday)
Heritage Day 24 September (Public Holiday)
Day of Reconciliation 16 December (Public Holiday)
Christmas Day 25 December (Public Holiday)
Day of Goodwill 26 December (Public Holiday)


Subscribe to our newsletter for more news and information on events, tours, accommodation specials and the best things to do in Cape Town and South Africa.