President Zuma declares a public holiday
For those working throughout the festive season, there is good news from the Presidency as a new public holiday for this year has been announced by President Jacob Zuma.
Zuma has declared December 27 a public holiday throughout the country after the Federation of Unions of South Africa (Fedusa) put in this request.
Fedusa motivated the request by stating that workers in the country will only have 11 public holidays instead of 12 seeing as Christmas Day will fall on a Sunday this year.
According to section 2(1) of the Public Holidays Act, 1994, “whenever a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday shall be a public holiday”.
Seeing as the following Monday of December 25 will also be a public holiday (Day of Goodwill), it has resulted in the two public holidays overlapping.
“The declaration of December 27 as a public holiday will ensure that workers are not unduly disadvantaged because of this unusual event and are still entitled to their 12 paid public holidays,” states the Presidency.
