Leave days: How to make the most of SA's public holidays this year - including turning your Easter break into 10 days off

Photo Jay Caboz.

• South Africans can target 4 long weekends this year.
• National Women’s Day falls on Sunday 9 August which means you get a bonus workday off thanks to the Public Holidays Act.
• Also up for grabs will be Easter weekend (Friday 10 April and Monday 13 April), as well as Worker’s Day (May 1) which falls on a Friday and of course Christmas Day (Friday 25 December)
• South Africa has 12 public holidays in 2020.
• For more stories, go to the Business Insider SA home page. 

South Africans looking to get more out of their leave can look to 4 long weekends this year.

List of Public Holidays 2020 and 2019. Source South African Government.

There is a bonus long weekend in August, as National Women’s Day falls on Sunday 9 August.  Thanks to the Public Holidays Act, whenever any public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is a public holiday, - so Monday 10 August will be a national holiday.

Also up for grabs will be Worker’s Day (May 1) which falls on a Friday as well as Christmas Day (Friday 25 December).

But, if you REALLY want to maximise your time off, Easter weekend (Friday 10 April and Monday 13 April) will be when you want to take leave.

Booking 3 workdays around this bracket will get you 7 consecutive days off. Booking 4 days either side of the Easter weekend gets you 10 consecutive days.

South Africans are entitled to 21 consecutive days of paid annual leave, if an employee works a five-day week, according to André Classen, MD at South African Labour Guide.

South Africa has 12 public holidays in 2020. Since public holidays are not counted as leave, they can be a real bonus. 

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