The double-pay rule
Under section 18 of the BCEA, a worker who works on a public holiday that falls on a day they would ordinarily work must be paid at least double the ordinary daily wage for that day. At R30.23 an hour, a 9-hour day that would normally pay R272.07 becomes at least R544.14 if worked on a public holiday. If the holiday falls on a day the worker wouldn't ordinarily work but they work it anyway, they're paid their ordinary day's wage plus the hours worked at the ordinary rate — but the simple, common case is double pay for a normal working day.
Paid day off if they don't work it
If a public holiday lands on a day the worker would normally work and they don't work, they don't lose anything — they're entitled to be paid as if it were a normal working day. So a worker who has, say, Christmas Day off still gets that day's pay. You can't treat a public holiday as unpaid leave or dock it from annual leave.
The festive-season cluster
December and early January pack in several public holidays — typically the Day of Reconciliation (16 December), Christmas Day (25 December), the Day of Goodwill (26 December) and New Year's Day (1 January). Each one is governed by the same rule: if the worker works it, double pay; if it's a normal working day they take off, ordinary pay. Plan ahead for the festive season so you know which days the worker will work and budget for the double-pay days.
Public holidays, leave and the festive shutdown
A public holiday that falls during a worker's annual leave doesn't count as a leave day — it's a public holiday, so the worker keeps that leave day. If your household shuts down over the festive period and the worker is off, that time generally comes off their paid annual leave (by agreement), but the public holidays inside it remain paid public holidays, not leave. See our December leave guide for planning the festive shutdown. Compliance tool, not legal advice.