PlanSA gives you the big picture first, then lets you jump into the details. Start here for a quick overview, or go straight to public holidays, school terms, leave planning, and important dates.
South Africa's
planning tool. 🇿🇦
Public holidays, school terms, leave optimiser, SASSA dates and more — all in one place, always free.
Public holidays and long weekends
See confirmed public holidays, observed dates, and the best long-weekend opportunities.
DBE school terms and matric dates
Check the 2026 national school calendar and key milestones for the Class of 2026.
Find the best leave bridges
Use the leave optimiser to rank the best break opportunities by days off per leave day.
Track SASSA, fuel, tax, and sports
Keep the practical stuff in view too, so you can plan around more than just holidays.
Frequently asked questions
How many public holidays does South Africa have in 2026?
▼South Africa has 13 public holidays in 2026 under the Public Holidays Act (No. 36 of 1994), including 10 August as an observed holiday since National Women's Day (9 August) falls on a Sunday.
When is the next long weekend in South Africa?
▼The Public Holidays tab always shows a live countdown to the next long weekend, based on which public holidays fall next to a weekend. Check the "Next Public Holiday" card above or visit the Public Holidays page for the full list.
What happens when a public holiday falls on a Sunday?
▼Under the Public Holidays Act, if a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday becomes a public holiday too. This does not apply if the holiday falls on a Saturday — no substitute day is added in that case, unless separately gazetted.
Do all provinces have the same school holiday dates?
▼Yes — since 2024, all nine provinces follow a single unified national DBE school calendar for public schools. Independent and private schools may still set their own term dates, so always confirm with your specific school.
Is PlanSA affiliated with the South African government?
▼No. PlanSA is an independent, free tool that aggregates official published data from gov.za, the Department of Basic Education, SASSA, DMRE, SARS and Umalusi. Always verify against the original source before making travel, financial, or leave decisions — see the About page for full source links.
Plan your time off. This page shows every upcoming public holiday, long weekend, and school holiday in South Africa. Use the time window and event filters to focus on the dates relevant to you.
Upcoming holidays
All 2026 public holidays
Confirmed dates under the Public Holidays Act (No. 36 of 1994). If a holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is also a public holiday.
- — New Year's Day
- — Human Rights Day — Falls on Saturday — no Monday substitute
- — Good Friday
- — Family Day
- — Freedom Day
- — Workers' Day
- — Youth Day
- — National Women's Day (observed Mon, 10 Aug)
- — Women's Day observed
- — Heritage Day
- — Day of Reconciliation
- — Christmas Day
- — Day of Goodwill — Falls on Saturday — no Monday substitute
- — New Year's Day 2027
All nine South African provinces follow the unified national school calendar. These dates apply to public schools — independent and private schools set their own.
School terms
School holidays
Plan your leave around public holidays and school breaks. Enter a date range below to see exactly how many leave days you need — weekends and public holidays are excluded automatically.
Leave Day Calculator
▼Pick a date range — public holidays and weekends are excluded automatically.
My Leave Plan 0 selected
Best leave hacks — ranked by days off per leave day
Track the most important dates for South Africa's matric class of 2026. All dates are based on historical patterns — official dates are confirmed by DBE/Umalusi mid‑year.
Key matric milestones
A complete year‑at‑a‑glance calendar for 2026. Public holidays are marked in red, school holidays in green, and today is highlighted in gold.
Stay on top of key dates beyond public holidays — SASSA grant payments, fuel price adjustments, SARS tax deadlines, and major sports events.
PlanSA is built on official South African government data. All public holiday dates come from the Public Holidays Act, and school terms follow the DBE national calendar.
Why PlanSA exists
PlanSA is an independent planning tool created to make important South African dates easier to understand and use. It brings public holidays, school terms and practical planning tools together without claiming to replace the official source.
Dates are transcribed from the primary sources below and checked against their surrounding calendar. Calculated guidance—such as leave bridges and countdowns—is produced in the browser and is clearly separate from official dates.
Official sources — always verify before booking
- gov.za — Public Holidays Act No. 36 of 1994
- education.gov.za — DBE school calendar
- WCED — Western Cape school calendar
- GDE — Gauteng Education
- Umalusi — NSC matric authority
- SASSA — Social grants schedules
- DMRE — Fuel price announcements
- SARS — Tax deadlines