Today, 1st September 2026, Zambia is observing a public holiday in connection with the swearing-in of the President-elect and Vice-President-elect. But did you know that Zambia’s principal law governing public holidays is actually older than independent Zambia? The Public Holidays Act, Act No. 14 of 1964, commenced on 26th March 1964—almost seven months before Zambia attained independence on 24th October 1964.
And the legal history goes back even further.
Northern Rhodesia already had legislation regulating public holidays. In particular, Public Holidays Proclamation No. 14 of 1914 formed part of the territory’s colonial legislation. That earlier law was subsequently repealed and replaced by the Public Holidays Act of 1964. This means that the statutory regulation of public holidays in what is today Zambia can be traced back more than 110 years, through the colonial period of Northern Rhodesia and into the independent Republic of Zambia. When Zambia became independent, the 1964 Act continued in force but was subsequently amended on several occasions as the new Republic developed its own national calendar. Today, the Schedule to the Act includes familiar commemorations such as Youth Day, African Freedom Day, Heroes Day, Unity Day, Farmers Day and Independence Day.
The Act also provides a mechanism for declaring additional public holidays by statutory notice, allowing special national occasions to be recognised without necessarily amending the principal Schedule. Interestingly, not every public holiday has its source in the Public Holidays Act. Article 56(2) of the Constitution, for example, expressly provides that the day on which a general election is held shall be a public holiday. Thus, 13th August 2026, when Zambia held its General Election, was a public holiday by operation of the Constitution itself.
There is therefore much more behind the familiar announcement:
“Tomorrow is a public holiday.”
Public holidays are not merely days on which we do not go to work. They can also tell the story of a nation. Zambia’s public holiday legislation has travelled through Northern Rhodesia, independence and into the modern Republic. Along the way, the calendar has evolved to reflect Zambia’s history, national identity and the people and events the country has chosen to commemorate.
It is a small but fascinating example of how law can preserve history while also changing with society.
We Learn Everyday.
Dzekedzeke and Company
Legal Practitioners
Lusaka, Zambia
📞 +260 977 410 266
🌐 dzekedzekeandco.com
