The 2022 festive season just became a whole lot better after President Cyril Ramaphosa declared 27 December a public holiday.
Cosatu recently joined the Federation of Unions of South Africa (Fedusa) in requesting the additional paid public holiday this year. This decision will give South Africans a total of five days off over the festive season.
Four of South Africa’s 12 public holidays currently fall over the festive season:
- Day of Reconciliation – Friday, 16 December
- Christmas Day – Sunday, 25 December
- Day of Goodwill (Boxing Day) – Monday, 26 December
- New Year’s Day – Sunday, 1 January
According to legal firm Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyer (CDH), ‘the Public Holidays Act 36 of 1994 (Act) provides that whenever any public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday shall be a public holiday.’
This year, Christmas Day falls on a Sunday, which would mean Monday 26 December should become the holiday observed, However, 26 December (Boxing Day) is already a public holiday, leading to 27 December being a holiday this year.
This was also the case in 2016 when former president Jacob Zuma declared Tuesday, 27 December an additional public holiday.
Picture: Getaway Gallery
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