There are only four long weekends this year, but we do get a bonus day to go vote. Plus, if you take 5 days’ leave for Easter, you get 12 days off!
South Africa (05 January 2024) – 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 for planning small getaways and ensuring 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.
2024 is a Leap Year, so many of the days have shifted; for example, Human Rights Day was on Tuesday last year, and this year, it’s a Thursday. This is the perfect time to take a single leave day for Friday the 22nd and earn yourself a mega-long weekend. The Easter weekend also falls in the last week of March this year.
2024 is also an election year and historically, the day has been deemed a public holiday so that people can get to voting stations. That day will likely fall in May this year as it did last time. However, we will be sure to keep you updated on when that day happens. So, be excited for a bonus off day this year!
Below are all the dates and days to add to your calendar for 2024. We will share some of our leave tips below to ensure you get the longest holidays possible.
- Human Rights Day – Thursday, 21st March 2024
- Good Friday – Friday, 29th March 2024
- Family Day – Monday, 1st April 2024
- Freedom Day – Saturday, 27th April 2024
- Workers Day – Wednesday, 1st May 2024
- Youth Day – Sunday, 16th June 2024
- Youth Day Observed – Monday, 17th June 2024
- National Women’s Day – Friday, 9th August 2024
- Heritage Day – Tuesday, 24th September 2024
- Day of Reconciliation – Monday, 16th December 2024
- Christmas Day – Wednesday, 25th December 2024
- Boxing Day – Thursday, 26th December 2024
This year we have four 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:
- 4-Day Weekend in March using 1 day leave: Take the 22nd of March 2024 off and get a long weekend.
- 12-Day Holiday in March for 5 days leave: Take the 22nd, 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th of March off and get two weeks of holiday.
- 4-Day Weekend in September using 1 day leave: Take the 23rd of September 2024 off and get a long weekend (you only go back to work on a Wednesday)
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.
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