March 2027 is the best leave window South African workers will see for years, and almost nobody has noticed it yet.
Human Rights Day falls on a Sunday, so Monday 22 March becomes a public holiday. Good Friday lands on 26 March. Family Day on Monday 29 March. Book off the Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in between, and you are out of the office from Saturday 20 March to Monday 29 March. Ten consecutive days off for three leave days.
The planner below does that arithmetic for the whole year, for whatever leave balance you actually have.
Leave Planner: Turn Your Leave Days Into Long Weekends
Enter how many annual leave days you have left. This works out exactly which days to book so that your leave lands against the public holidays and weekends, and tells you how many consecutive days off you actually get.
The BCEA minimum is 15 working days a year. Many contracts give 20 or more.
These pull against each other. Three long weekends beat one long holiday on the maths, and lose on the holiday.
Days that have already passed are ignored.
Enter your leave balance to see the plan.
Your plan
0 leave days becomes 0 days off
The public holidays
Public holidays are set by the Public Holidays Act 36 of 1994. Where a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the Monday that follows is a public holiday. There is no equivalent rule for a Saturday, so a holiday that lands on a Saturday is simply lost. This tool assumes you work Monday to Friday.
2027 also takes two public holidays away from you
Not everything is a gift. In 2027 you lose two.
| Holiday | Falls on | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Workers' Day, 1 May | Saturday | Nothing |
| Christmas Day, 25 December | Saturday | Nothing |
The Public Holidays Act says that when a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the Monday that follows becomes a public holiday. That is the whole rule, and it says nothing at all about Saturdays.
So a holiday that lands on a Saturday is simply gone. No replacement Monday, no day in lieu, nothing. In 2027 that happens twice, and one of them is Christmas.
It cuts both ways. Human Rights Day falls on Sunday 21 March, which is why you get Monday 22 March. The Day of Goodwill falls on Sunday 26 December, which is why you get Monday 27 December. Two Sundays gain you two Mondays; two Saturdays cost you two days. Net, 2027 gives you ten weekday public holidays instead of the twelve on the calendar.
Every public holiday in 2027
| Date | Day | Holiday | Worth anything? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January | Friday | New Year's Day | Yes, long weekend |
| 21 March | Sunday | Human Rights Day | Monday 22 March instead |
| 22 March | Monday | Human Rights Day, observed | Yes |
| 26 March | Friday | Good Friday | Yes |
| 29 March | Monday | Family Day | Yes |
| 27 April | Tuesday | Freedom Day | Yes, bridge the Monday |
| 1 May | Saturday | Workers' Day | Lost |
| 16 June | Wednesday | Youth Day | Awkward, midweek |
| 9 August | Monday | National Women's Day | Yes, long weekend |
| 24 September | Friday | Heritage Day | Yes, long weekend |
| 16 December | Thursday | Day of Reconciliation | Yes, bridge the Friday |
| 25 December | Saturday | Christmas Day | Lost |
| 26 December | Sunday | Day of Goodwill | Monday 27 December instead |
| 27 December | Monday | Day of Goodwill, observed | Yes |
Easter moves every year. In 2027 Easter Sunday is 28 March, which is what puts Good Friday and Family Day right up against the Human Rights Day Monday. That collision is the whole reason March is so good, and it will not repeat for a long time.
The 2027 long weekends, one leave day each
Each of these costs you a single day of leave.
| Book off | You get | Days off |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 4 January | Friday 1 to Monday 4 January | 4 |
| Friday 19 March | Friday 19 to Monday 22 March | 4 |
| Thursday 25 March | Thursday 25 to Monday 29 March | 5 |
| Monday 26 April | Saturday 24 to Tuesday 27 April | 4 |
| Friday 6 August | Friday 6 to Monday 9 August | 4 |
| Thursday 23 September | Thursday 23 to Sunday 26 September | 4 |
| Friday 17 December | Thursday 16 to Sunday 19 December | 4 |
| Friday 24 December | Friday 24 to Monday 27 December | 4 |
Eight long weekends. Eight leave days, 33 days off.
Youth Day is the problem child. It falls on Wednesday 16 June, stranded in the middle of the week, and there is no cheap way to use it. Bridging it properly costs two leave days for a five day break.
Most days off, or longest breaks? They are not the same thing
The planner has two settings, and they genuinely pull against each other. This is the part every other "long weekend" list gets wrong by pretending there is one right answer.
Most days off. Spend your leave one day at a time, always against a holiday. Ten leave days become 38 days off across nine separate blocks. Brilliant maths. Your longest single break is five days.
Longest breaks. Spend it in clumps. Nine leave days in March gets you an unbroken 18 days off, from 12 to 29 March. Six more in December gets you 12 days off, 16 to 27 December. Fifteen leave days, 30 days off, two real holidays.
Fifteen days spent one way gives you 38 days off. Spent the other way it gives you 30. The first is objectively more time off work. The second is the one where you actually go somewhere.
Pick the setting that matches what you want, not the one with the bigger number.
The December run
Everyone plans December badly.
Reconciliation Day is Thursday 16 December. Christmas is a Saturday, so it is lost, but the Day of Goodwill on Sunday 26 December drags Monday 27 December in as a holiday.
Book off Friday 17 December, then Monday 20 through Friday 24 December. Six leave days. You are off from Thursday 16 December to Monday 27 December, which is 12 consecutive days, and you are back at work on Tuesday 28 December while everyone else is still asleep.
How much leave do you actually have?
The BCEA gives you a minimum of 21 consecutive days of annual leave per leave cycle, which for a normal Monday to Friday worker means 15 working days a year. Many contracts give 20 or more, and some employers add days for long service.
Public holidays do not come out of your leave. They are separate. If a public holiday falls on a day you would have worked, you get it, and your leave balance is untouched.
Not sure what your balance is, or what your leave is worth if you never take it? Work it out with the leave days calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How many public holidays are there in South Africa in 2027? Twelve on the calendar, but only ten of them actually give you a day off work. Workers' Day and Christmas Day both fall on a Saturday in 2027, and there is no replacement day for a Saturday.
What happens if a public holiday falls on a Sunday? The Monday that follows becomes a public holiday. In 2027 this happens twice: Human Rights Day on Sunday 21 March gives you Monday 22 March, and the Day of Goodwill on Sunday 26 December gives you Monday 27 December.
What happens if a public holiday falls on a Saturday? Nothing. You lose it. The Public Holidays Act only moves a holiday when it falls on a Sunday, and it makes no provision for a Saturday.
When is the best long weekend in 2027? March. Take Tuesday 23, Wednesday 24 and Thursday 25 March off and you get ten consecutive days, from Saturday 20 March to Monday 29 March, because the Human Rights Day Monday, Good Friday and Family Day all fall within the same ten day stretch.
When is Easter in 2027? Easter Sunday is 28 March 2027. Good Friday is 26 March and Family Day, which is Easter Monday, is 29 March.
Do public holidays come out of my annual leave? No. A public holiday that falls on a day you would ordinarily have worked is a paid day off and does not reduce your annual leave balance.
Can my employer make me work on a public holiday? Only by agreement. If you do work, you are entitled to be paid at least double, or your normal day's pay plus what you earned for the hours worked, whichever is greater.
How many days of annual leave am I entitled to? The BCEA minimum is 21 consecutive days per annual leave cycle, which works out to 15 working days for someone on a five day week.
Methodology
The public holidays are those listed in the Public Holidays Act 36 of 1994. Section 2(1) of that Act provides that whenever a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is a public holiday. There is no corresponding provision for a Saturday, which is why a holiday landing on a Saturday is lost.
Good Friday and Family Day move with Easter. Easter Sunday for 2027 was calculated using the Gregorian computus and falls on 28 March 2027, which places Good Friday on 26 March and Family Day on 29 March. Every date on this page was computed rather than copied, and cross checked against the day of the week.
The planner assumes a Monday to Friday working week. If you work shifts, weekends or a compressed week, the bridges will differ and the tool will not be right for you.
Annual leave entitlements are set by section 20 of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997.
Related
- Leave days calculator: work out your leave balance and what it is worth
- Public holiday pay in South Africa: what you must be paid if you work one
- Leave payout on resignation: what happens to leave you never took
- Unpaid leave in South Africa: when leave runs out
Disclaimer
Searchis is not a law firm and this is not legal advice. Public holidays are set by the Public Holidays Act and may be added to or altered by proclamation, including once off holidays declared for elections or national events.
Your leave entitlement, your notice requirements for booking leave, and your employer's shutdown policy are governed by your contract and your workplace policy. Confirm before you book flights.
