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Current time in South Africa

South Africa uses one time zone: South Africa Standard Time. There is no daylight saving time in 2026.

South Africa Standard Time4:08 PMThu, Oct 22 · UTC+2

Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Benoni

Time zones
12 IANA identifiers
UTC offsets used in 2026
UTC+2
Daylight saving
Not observed
Dialing code
+27
National holidays in 2026
13Public and bank holidays

What to know about time in South Africa

South Africa uses South African Standard Time, UTC+2, across the whole country with no daylight saving.

In the northern winter, Johannesburg is one hour ahead of Paris; in the European summer, they share a clock.

Clock rules in 2026

Zones with identical rules are grouped. Calculated from the IANA time zone database at build time; local dates.

Time zoneOffsetsClock changes in 2026Major places
South Africa Standard Time
Africa/Johannesburg, Africa/Maseru		UTC+2NoneCape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Benoni, Pretoria, Port Elizabeth, Vereeniging, Pietermaritzburg
72 places in our search index

Place assignments come from an open city dataset and can contain errors. Examples far from their zone are hidden. Search any place in the converter to check its zone.

Upcoming national holidays in South Africa

Offices and banks are often closed, which matters as much as the time difference when you schedule. National public and bank holidays only; regional and many religious holidays are not listed.

DateHoliday
Wed, Dec 16, 2026Day of Reconciliation
Fri, Dec 25, 2026Christmas Day
Sat, Dec 26, 2026Day of Goodwill
Fri, Jan 1, 2027New Year's Day
Sun, Mar 21, 2027Human Rights Day
Mon, Mar 22, 2027Public Holiday
Fri, Mar 26, 2027Good Friday
Mon, Mar 29, 2027Family Day
Tue, Apr 27, 2027Freedom Day
Sat, May 1, 2027Workers' Day
Wed, Jun 16, 2027Youth Day
Mon, Aug 9, 2027National Women's Day

Source: date-holidays (CC BY 3.0), generated 2026-10-22. Governments can add or move holidays; confirm important dates locally. About our data.

Questions about time in South Africa

How many time zones does South Africa have?

One. All of South Africa uses South Africa Standard Time, UTC+2.

Does South Africa observe daylight saving time?

No. South Africa keeps the same offset all year in 2026.

What are the national public holidays in South Africa in 2026?

New Year's Day (January 1), Human Rights Day (March 21), Good Friday (April 3), Family Day (April 6), Freedom Day (April 27), Workers' Day (May 1), Youth Day (June 16), National Women's Day (August 9), Public Holiday (August 10), Heritage Day (September 24), Day of Reconciliation (December 16), Christmas Day (December 25), Day of Goodwill (December 26).

City guides in South Africa

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