Current Time in Johannesburg

The clock shows the time in Johannesburg now. South Africa uses SAST, UTC+2, in every season, so the hour you see here never jumps.

Current time in Johannesburg

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IANA zone
Current time in Johannesburg

UTC+2

South African Standard Time, kept all year in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban

South African Standard Time

South Africa has one time zone for the whole country. Its offset, two hours ahead of UTC, is set by law, and the South African National Metrology Institute keeps the official time with atomic clocks in Pretoria.

There is no daylight saving time. South Africa tried it in the 1940s and has not used it since; the long summer days of the southern hemisphere already give light evenings in December and January.

For travelers, Johannesburg's fixed clock means a flight from Europe lands with little jet lag in either season: the time difference is never more than two hours. Flights to and from Asia and the Americas cross many more zones, and the gap to New York moves between six and seven hours depending on US daylight time.

IANA zone: Africa/Johannesburg
Standard time: SAST · UTC+2
Daylight saving time: Not observed

The gap to the northern hemisphere moves twice a year

Because Europe and North America change their clocks and South Africa does not, the distance to them shrinks in the northern summer. London is two hours behind in January and one hour behind in July. Berlin and Paris are one hour behind in winter and level with Johannesburg in summer.

The Johannesburg Stock Exchange trades from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM SAST, so its day covers most of the London session in the northern summer and loses another hour of overlap in the northern winter.

City	In January	In July
Honolulu	−12	−12
Anchorage	−11	−10
Seattle	−10	−9
Denver	−9	−8
Vancouver	−9	−9
Houston	−8	−7
Lima	−7	−7
Toronto	−7	−6
Washington, D.C.	−7	−6
Buenos Aires	−5	−5
São Paulo	−5	−5
London	−2	−1
Amsterdam	−1	0
Berlin	−1	0
Madrid	−1	0
Paris	−1	0
Zurich	−1	0
Athens	0	+1
Cairo	0	+1
Doha	+1	+1
Nairobi	+1	+1
Riyadh	+1	+1
Dubai	+2	+2
Delhi	+3:30	+3:30
Dhaka	+4	+4
Ho Chi Minh City	+5	+5
Kuala Lumpur	+6	+6
Manila	+6	+6
Perth	+6	+6
Shanghai	+6	+6
Taipei	+6	+6
Seoul	+7	+7
Brisbane	+8	+8
Melbourne	+9	+8
Sydney	+9	+8

Hours to add to the time in Johannesburg; a minus sign means the other city is behind

Quote meeting times with the city name or SAST, especially for calls with Europe in March and October.
Check the Paris clock or London clock when Europe changes its clocks.

Avoid

Using the UTC+2 label alone for European partners: in summer Europe's CEST is UTC+2 too, so the times match only half the year.
Assuming Sydney is a fixed eight hours ahead; it is nine hours ahead during the Australian summer.

Johannesburg time questions

What does SAST stand for?

South African Standard Time, UTC+2. It covers the whole country, from Cape Town to Durban.

Does South Africa have daylight saving time?

No. It last used summer time during the Second World War, in 1942–1944.

Is Johannesburg on the same time as London?

No. It is two hours ahead of London in the northern winter and one hour ahead when the UK is on BST.

Which nearby countries share SAST's offset?

Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Mozambique, Malawi and others keep UTC+2 all year, often under the name Central Africa Time; Lesotho and Eswatini use SAST itself.

How many hours is Johannesburg ahead of New York?

Seven hours while the US is on standard time and six hours during US daylight time.