Ramaphosa announces extra public holiday for South Africa
Following the official gazetting of the 4 November public holiday in South Africa, President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced the day and his reasons for marking it.
On Tuesday (15 September), the president issued a statement announcing 4 November as a public holiday.
In terms of Section 2A of the Public Holidays Act of 1994, Ramaphosa declared the day a public holiday nationwide so that South Africans can go vote.
Ramaphosa announced in April 2026 that the municipal elections would be held on 4 November 2026.
In August, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Velenkosini Hlabisa, officially gazetted and proclaimed 4 November as the election date.
This was then followed by Ramaphosa officially declaring the day a public holiday via the government gazette on 8 September.
The 4 November election date was selected because it falls outside the festive season, is likely to improve voter turnout, and will have only a limited impact on schools and the matric examination timetable.
To this end, the President has now called on all registered voters to use the opportunity of the public holiday to exercise their democratic right and civic duty by voting in the election.
The presidency urged citizens not to simply treat the day as a day off, but to use the time to have their say in the country’s governance.
He said that voting “empowers citizens to elect local public representatives and influence service delivery where they live”.
“Voters are reminded as well that they will only be able to cast their votes at the polling stations in wards where they are registered,” Ramaphosa said.
“In the event that voters may consider travel, they will not be able to transfer their votes to voting stations away from their designated wards.”
Ramaphosa urged employers to make provision for employees working on the day to also exercise their Constitutional right to vote on 4 November.
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