South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that South Africa will have the day off on Friday December 15th 2023 to celebrate the Rugby World Cup victory of the Springboks.
In an address to the nation, the president said that the victory of the Springboks at the 2023 Rugby World Cup “rightfully calls for a moment to celebrate”.
However, while many expected the public holiday to take place sooner, the president said the date should be pushed back to give the matriculants space to focus on their exams.
This comes after the Springboks’ narrow victory against the All Blacks and Ramaphosa’s remarks after the national team won their semifinal against England.
He said then he would consider declaring a public holiday if the Springboks won the World Cup.
Notably, the 16th of December is already a public holiday in South Africa for the Day of Reconciliation – but in 2023, it falls on a Saturday.
When public holidays land on a Sunday, the day is moved to the following Monday. If it falls on a Saturday, it is not given a replacement day.
In the case of the new public holiday on the 15th, it would be a case of South Africans getting the “missed” day off on the 16th.
