Zambia Public Holidays
Discover upcoming public holiday dates for Zambia and start planning to make the most of your time off.
Chapter 272 of the Laws of Zambia is the official Holiday Law. In this document, there are 11 nationally recognised holidays. However, it should be noted that since the election of a new president in 2014, there have been three additional holidays added to the roster by Presidential decree.
At this time, the President of Zambia has declared the right to add or detract any public holidays. So far, only additional days of celebration have been added. It has not been out of character for this president to declare spontaneous half day off for government officials to attend special events, or declare a one-time national holiday with little notice. The current president also will call a national holiday on any election date.
Under the labor laws of Zambia, employers are required to provide employees with a paid day off for nationally recognised holidays. If the employee cannot take the day off due to the nature of the work being performed, the employer must provide the employee with additional pay for the work completed that day or a substitute paid day off. This is up to the discretion of the employer.
It should also be noted that changes to the Labor Code and regulations on pay do occur frequently in Zambia. Employers should familiarise themselves with current issues of the Labor Code in regard to holiday pay.