Alliance for Community Action Fact Checking Unit
Claim checked: Zambia has the highest number of public holidays in the region. Assertion widely made on social media following President Lungu’s declaration of Friday 9 March, 2018,as a public holiday.
SADC region public holidays (Source: Office Holiday)
Verification process
The ACA fact checking unit used the online site officeholidays.com to compare the number of public holidays Zambia enjoys with those of other Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries as well as Common Market for Eastern and Southern African (COMESA) Countries.
According to the 2018 national calendars, countries within the SADC region have an average of 13 days of public holidays. Tanzania, with 18 days, has the highest number of public holidays within the SADC block, Mauritius is second with 16 days. Zambia and Swaziland are joint third with 14 public holidays.
COMESA countries have an average of 13 days of public holidays with Egypt having 17 days, which is highest in the block and Mauritius with 16 is in second place. Zambia, Uganda and Swaziland rank third with 14 days each.
Findings
It is evident that Zambia is not the country with the most public holidays in the region. It is however in the top 3.
With the law allowing the President to declare a public holiday over and above those scheduled, the country can in various years have extra holidays.
The ACA fact checking unit finds the assertion that Zambia has the most public holidays in the region False.
ACA Fact Checking Unit: Building a questioning public.
The ACA Fact checking Unit is part of the EU funded ‘Speak up Zambia Project’ implemented in collaboration with the Free Press Unlimited and the House of consciousness.