Extra public holiday for South Africa in 2026

South Africa is likely to get another public holiday on 4 November 2026, the day on which the Local Government Elections will be held.

Two months ago, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the Local Government Elections would be held on 4 November 2026.

He made the announcement during the Extended Presidential Coordinating Council (PCC) meeting at the Birchwood Hotel in Ekurhuleni.

The proclamation followed consultations with Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa.

Ramaphosa explained that the elections will mark the completion of a full five-year term since the 2021 municipal polls, in keeping with constitutional timelines.

The President said the announcement provides certainty and signals the official start of the campaign period.

Although he announced the election date, he did not confirm that it would be a public holiday. However, this is highly likely.

Since 1994, every national, provincial, and municipal election day in South Africa has been declared a public holiday.

The sitting President routinely uses Section 2A of the Public Holidays Act to proclaim each voting day a special national public holiday.

It states that “The President may, by proclamation in the Gazette, declare any day to be a public holiday throughout the Republic or any part thereof”.

It is expected that Ramaphosa will proclaim 4 November 2026 a public holiday in the coming months.

The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) highlighted that election day falls during the matric examination period.

Therefore, declaring the date of the Local Government Elections a public holiday will help minimise disruptions to students.

More recently, the Independent Electoral Commission confirmed that 4 November 2026 will be designated as a public holiday.

The issue was raised during a meeting between Parliament’s Standing Committee on Appropriations, the IEC, and the Department of Home Affairs.

Committee chairperson Mmusi Maimane noted that the elections will be held during the matric exams and that many schools are used as voting stations.

Maimane added that the IEC said it had already engaged with the Department of Basic Education (DBE) to address the concern.

“The IEC replied that through consultation with the DBE, there will be minimal disruptions to matriculants as the day will be designated as a public holiday,” he said.

Public Holidays in South Africa in 2026