Everyone loves a cheeky getaway without losing leave, so we have come up with a few options to plan your family holidays.
South Africa (06 March 2020) – Every year we crack open our diaries and check what kind of leave cycle we have for the year because who doesn’t love an extended holiday? And then, we share that very helpful information with you.
This year the calendar isn’t quite as generous as it has been in the past but we always think any kind of holiday is exciting so here is how you plan your leave…
The first big one starts in April by taking just 3 days leave, you will get a whopping 9 days of holiday when combined with the weekends and public holidays.
There are 4 public holidays between mid-April and the start of May and thankfully all of them fall on weekdays.
The dates on which Good Friday and Easter Sunday fall are determined according to the ecclesiastical moon. That varies each year but they usually fall at some point between late March and late April.
This year Good Friday falls on the 10th of April, with ‘Family Day’ on the 13th of April. Freedom Day on 27 April which this year is a Monday and Workers Day on the 1st of May, is a Friday.
If you put leave in for the 28th to the 30th of April, you can be away for 9 whole days! This includes weekends and public holidays. Essentially you would be away from the 25th of April to the 3rd of May. You can see it highlighted in green below.
If you have 12 days to take on your leave, you can end up with 24 days away from the office. You would take leave from the 14th to the 17th of April, the 20th to the 24th of April and the 28th to the 30th of April.
Youth Day
Youth Day falls on Tuesday 16 June this year which means if you take the 15th off, you get an extended long weekend which means a nice 4-day break!
Mandela Day
Mandela Day isn’t a public holiday but we are adding it because this year it falls on a Saturday. That means you have no excuse to get out and give back this year!
Women’s Day
Women’s Day falls on Sunday 9 August so it will be observed on Monday the 10th. If you took Friday the 7th of August off, you could have a 4-day weekend.
Heritage Day
Our Heritage Day (also known as Braai Day) falls on Thursday 24 September which gives you a lekker little long weekend if you take the 25th off as well.
Day of Reconciliation
The Day of Reconciliation falls on Wednesday 16 December this year but most of the December public holidays are on weekdays so we have an extra-long summer holiday to look forward to.
Christmas Holidays (South African Summer Holidays)
Most companies close in December meaning we are forced to save leave for the end of the year. This isn’t a bad thing as we have the best weather in December! This year, you might only have to use 10 days thanks to how the holidays fall.
Christmas (25 December) falls on a Friday this year and the Day of Goodwill on a Saturday (26 December). By taking just 10 days leave over this period, you are guaranteed another 19 day holiday!
We hope you enjoy planning your leave. Let us know which break you are most looking forward to in the comments.
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