Time Zone History

South Africa time zone history

South Africa has kept UTC+2 since 1903, with no clock changes since 1970, tied second-longest run among the 9 zones in Africa with no change of standard time since 1970. On standard time, clocks in Johannesburg run 8 minutes ahead of local mean solar time.

UTC+2

Standard time is UTC+2 (SAST) all year under the current rules.

tz database name Africa/Johannesburg

Convert a time from South Africa

UTC+2 every day since 1970

UTC+1:30, UTC+1:52: behind today’s standard timeUTC+2: today’s standard timeUTC+3: 1 hour ahead of today’s standard timeUTC+1:30, UTC+1:52: behind today’sstandard timeUTC+2: today’s standard timeUTC+3: 1 hour ahead of today’sstandard time

How to read this chart

Before 1970

18801900192019401960188019201960
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec1970198019902000201020202028JFMAMJJASOND1970198019902000201020202028

Standard time changes

DateChangeNew standard timeClock label
Before 1970
February 8, 1892Local mean time (UTC+1:52) replacedUTC+1:30SAST
March 1, 1903Standard time forward 30 minutesUTC+2SAST

Daylight saving periods

YearsClocks go forwardClocks go backShift and labels
1942September 20not that year1 hour
1943September 19March 211 hour
1944not that yearMarch 191 hour

Also on UTC+2

Mozambique, Namibia, South Sudan, Sudan, Egypt, Gaza (Palestine), Hebron (Palestine), Israel, Lebanon and Libya (nearest first; 12 more on the list of offsets).

Clocks next door since 1970

  • Mozambique (459 km): same time every day.
  • Namibia (1,177 km): same time except 3,689 days in 1994–2017.
  • Kenya (2,932 km): always 1 hour ahead.
  • Mauritius (3,082 km): usually 2 hours ahead; different on 316 days in 1982, 1983, 2008 and 2009.
  • South Sudan (3,480 km): usually 1 hour ahead; different on 10,406 days in 1970–2000 and 2021–2026; same time today.