It’s official! South Africa has an extra public holiday this November
· The South African
President Cyril Ramaphosa has officially declared Wednesday, 4 November 2026 an additional public holiday for South Africa, giving voters the day off to take part in the country’s local government elections.
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4 NOVEMBER OFFICIALLY DECLARED A PUBLIC HOLIDAY
The declaration follows the formal gazetting and proclamation of 4 November 2026 as the election date by Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Velenkosini Hlabisa in August 2026. Ramaphosa first announced the election date on 30 April 2026, at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg, during discussions at the Extended Presidential Coordinating Council meeting.
At the time, he stated that as the local government elections were due in 2026, the date “should be held on a Wednesday, which is the middle of the week,” settling on 4 November 2026.
The public holiday itself was declared under Section 2A of the Public Holidays Act, 1994, which empowers the President to declare any specific day a public holiday — nationally or in a particular area — “by publishing a notice in the Government Gazette.” Minister Hlabisa gazetted the election date on 7 August 2026, paving the way for the presidential proclamation that has now been finalised.
NOT THE FIRST ‘EXTRA’ PUBLIC HOLIDAY OF THE YEAR
This is not South Africa’s first “bonus” holiday of the year. National Women’s Day fell on Sunday, 9 August 2026, automatically triggering Monday, 10 August 2026 as a public holiday. This was under Section 2(1) of the Public Holidays Act, which states that whenever a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday becomes a public holiday too. With both of these additions, South Africa’s public holidays for 2026 has risen to 14, from the usual 12.
The precedent for election-day holidays is well established. Ramaphosa had previously declared Monday 1 November 2021 — the date of the previous local government elections — a national public holiday.
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC) had also flagged timing concerns ahead of the 4 November 2026 vote. This was because it falls during the matric examination period and many schools double as voting stations; Parliament’s Standing Committee on Appropriations chairperson Mmusi Maimane confirmed the IEC had addressed the clash.