Africa Day in Zimbabwe

A public holiday under Zimbabwean law

Zimbabwe’s Public Holidays and Prohibition of Business Act lists “Africa Day, being the 25th May” among the country’s public holidays. The Act also says that when a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday is a public holiday. It does not set an equivalent Monday rule for a Saturday.[1]

For employees covered by the Labour Act, a public holiday is a day of leave with their current remuneration if it falls on a day they would otherwise have worked. An employee who agrees to work on a public holiday must be paid at least twice their current remuneration for that day.[2]

The date’s African history

Africa Day recalls the establishment of the OAU in Addis Ababa on 25 May 1963. The African Union describes the OAU as a pan-African institution formed to advance unity and cooperation, and notes that the AU was officially launched in 2002 as its successor.[3]

The OAU’s founding vision included African unity, solidarity, cooperation and independence. In Zimbabwe, the holiday therefore connects a date fixed in national law with a wider history of African self-determination and continental cooperation.[1][3]

How the day is observed

The African Union describes Africa Day as a time for pride and reflection on the continent’s history and progress.[3] Check with local organisers for details of events and family activities.

Practical effects

The holiday designation does not, by itself, establish that every shop, bank or transport service closes. Zimbabwe’s Act gives the President power to issue a separate statutory instrument prohibiting specified businesses or institutions from operating on particular days.[1] Check directly with offices, banks, shops and transport providers for their Africa Day hours.