BAD news for South Africa's next public holiday

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South Africans returned to work on Tuesday having enjoyed a long weekend thanks to Monday’s Youth Daypublic holidays.

No doubt, eyes will have quickly turned to the next public holiday on the calendar.

However, there’s some BAD news in that regard!

The next public holiday is scheduled to be National Women’s Dayon Saturday, 9 August.

That day will sadly be ‘lost’ as it falls on a Saturday and it will just be a ‘normal’ weekend day.

The Public Holidays Act (Act No 36 of 1994) determines that whenever any public holiday falls on a Sunday, the Monday following it will also be a public holiday.

However, for public holidays that fall on a Saturday, it’s just a ‘normal’ weekend day.

Of course, the fewer days off, the better for business in the country.

The next public holiday which will result in a day off from work will be Wednesday, 24 September when Heritage Day – or Braai Day as it’s become commonly known – will be celebrated.

Why does South Africa celebrate National Women’s Day?

National Women’s Day is a South African public holiday celebrated annually on 9 August.

The day commemorates the 1956 march of approximately 20 000 women to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to petition against the country’s pass laws that required South Africans defined as “black” under The Population Registration Act to carry an internal passport, known as a passbook, that served to maintain population segregation, control urbanisation, and manage migrant labour during the apartheid era.

The march was led by Lillian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Rahima Moosa and Sophia Williams.

Other participants included Frances Baard, a statue of whom was unveiled by Northern Cape Premier Hazel Jenkins in Kimberley (Frances Baard District Municipality) on National Women’s Day 2009.

The first National Women’s Day was celebrated on 9 August 1995.

In 2006, a reenactment of the march was staged for its 50th anniversary, with many of the 1956 march veterans.

Next long weekend

There are FIVE long weekends in 2025.

Four have already passed with the fifth and final one scheduled to be four-day long weekend with Christmas and the Day of Goodwill (Boxing Day) falling on a Thursday and Friday, respectively.