The Act treats Saturdays differently. When a public holiday falls on a Saturday, no extra day is granted and the holiday is observed only on the Saturday itself. There is no equivalent provision triggering a Friday or Monday off in those cases.

The legislation also gives employers and workers some room to adjust how public holidays are observed.

Under Section 2(2), an official public holiday can be swapped for a different agreed day, provided both the employer and employee consent to the arrangement.

The announcement came after questions arose about whether the election could disrupt matric examinations, given that many schools double as voting stations.

Parliament’s Standing Committee on Appropriations chairperson Mmusi Maimane said the IEC had already worked through the concern.

“The IEC replied that through consultation with the Department of Basic Education, there will be minimal disruptions to matriculants as the day will be designated as a public holiday,” Maimane said.

Ramaphosa noted that Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa supported the date partly because it falls outside the festive season, which is expected to improve voter turnout and limit the impact on schools.

Before the November holiday becomes official, two formal steps are still required. Hlabisa must first proclaim the election date in the Government Gazette, after which Ramaphosa is expected to issue a separate proclamation declaring the day a public holiday closer to the election.

He allegedly sped off, drove through several red lights and reached speeds of more than 100mph on a dual carriageway and 70mph in a 40mph zone. He also collided with several vehicles while attempting to evade the police.

Nwanze was later charged with dangerous driving, driving without insurance, failing to stop for police and driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence.

He pleaded guilty at Northampton Crown Court in April and was sentenced in June.

In Scotland, a 26-year-old Nigerian, Osarenkhoe Atutie, was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison for attempting to murder his estranged wife, Victory Atutie, in Edinburgh.

According to the BBC, Atutie attacked his wife on Duke Street, Leith, in November 2025 after tracking her down following the breakdown of their marriage.

The High Court in Edinburgh heard that the victim suffered 12 stab wounds and was hospitalised for four days.

Three members of the public intervened, disarmed Atutie and restrained him until police arrived. His original 10-year sentence was reduced to seven-and-a-half years after he pleaded guilty.

He was also given a lifetime non-harassment order and will remain under supervision for 18 months after his release.

Meanwhile, a Nigerian student, Anderson Ishiekwene, was sentenced to three years in prison after being convicted of attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming.

According to the BBC, the 25-year-old Ishiekwene, who arrived in the UK on a student visa in August 2025, communicated with a decoy profile operated by an online paedophile hunter group after believing the person was a 14-year-old girl.

Prosecutors said he exchanged hundreds of pages of messages with the decoy before arranging to meet at a shopping centre in Washington, England. He was arrested when he arrived at the agreed location.

Ishiekwene had earlier admitted attempting to engage in sexual communications with a child and was convicted by a jury of attempting to meet a child following sexual grooming.

He was ordered to sign the sex offenders register and comply indefinitely with a Sexual Harm Prevention Order, with the court stating that he was likely to face automatic deportation after completing his sentence.

“We increased the supply of American weapons and maintained support precisely when the political climate in Washington was shifting against us,” she added.

Stefanishyna, a former deputy prime minister and justice minister, was nominated as ambassador in July last year.

The role is crucial for Ukraine, which depends on US arms deliveries and intelligence-sharing in the conflict against Russia.

Relations between Zelensky and his US counterpart Donald Trump have been strained and, at times, stormy.

But the billionaire Republican former real estate mogul has recently been more encouraging towards the Ukrainian leader.

According to Ukrainian media, Stefanishyna is under investigation by the country’s anti-corruption agency on suspicion of wrongdoing, although she has not been formally accused.

Zelensky, who made a controversial government reshuffle in July, has not yet announced who will replace Stefanishyna as ambassador in Washington.