Mind Still on Holiday? Start Planning Your Leave for 2025, Today!

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If you are already dreaming of your next holiday, we have the perfect plan to maximise your leave in 2025!

South Africa (13 January 2025) – Today is the last big “first day back at work” for many South Africans. If you got here kicking and screaming, you are not alone. While being refreshed and rejuvenated, the ready-for-the-new-year vibe is the mandate; you will, however, be forgiven if you drag your feet on your first day back at work.

For those still dreaming of the Dezemba vibes, we have compiled our annual holiday plans feature to help you maximise your leave.

At the start of each year, we sit down with our calendars and plan. Each year, we also take a look at all the public holidays and where they fall in that year. This is done to plan small getaways and ensure you know which are the ideal days to take leave to maximise your own time off.

We hope that highlighting these days gives people opportunities to plan, whether that be a family trip, a perfect wedding date or just some extra time at home kicking your feet up. We also advocate for the employer, so be sure that any leave taken is done while keeping your employer happy, too; give them enough notice and be sure your work is up to date.

Below are all the dates and days to add to your calendar for 2025. We will share some of our leave tips below to ensure you get the longest holidays possible.

1 January – Wednesday: New Year’s Day
21 March – Friday: Human Rights Day
18 April – Friday: Good Friday
21 April – Monday: Family Day
27 April – Sunday: Freedom Day
28 April – Monday: Public holiday Freedom Day observed
1 May – Thursday: Workers’ Day
16 June – Monday: Youth Day
9 August – Saturday: National Women’s Day
24 September – Wednesday: Heritage Day
16 December – Tuesday: Day of Reconciliation
25 December – Thursday: Christmas Day
26 December – Friday: Day of Goodwill

This year, we have five long weekends in total. You can make them longer by taking one or two days and giving yourself four to five days off over those periods.

Here are some tips to make your public holidays a little longer:

17 Days Over the Easter Break: You can take 7 days of leave and get a 17-day break! You need to take the 22nd to the 25th of March (4 days), the 29th – 30th of March and the 2nd of May.
1 Day for an Extra Long Weekend: The 2nd of May is a work day but if you take it off, you get a 4-day long weekend!
5-Day Holiday in September: Heritage Day is on a Wednesday, so you can get a 5-day break if you take 2 days off. You can have your pick here: either the Monday and Tuesday off before the Wednesday or the Thursday and Friday after the holiday. Both options give you a 5-day holiday.

So there you have it. Add a day or two to the long weekends, and you can have a few good breaks within the year. Looking for inspiration for your next travel destination? The Passport Index just released all the visa-free travel destinations South Africans can travel to in 2025. Read it here.