
Sunrise and sunset in South Africa
Sunrise today: 5:40 h
Sunset today: 19:00 h
(Times for Pretoria)Sunset today: 19:00 h
The times for sunrise and sunset in in South Africa are determined by its location in the southern hemisphere. South of the equator, the longest days are in the months from December to March, while the shortest are in the period from June to September. In the northern hemisphere, it is the other way around. With up to about 13:50 hours, there are the longest days in December. In June, on the other hand, they last about 14 hours in Pretoria and start about 60 minutes later.
During these days, the sun in Pretoria rises at 5:40. The Sunset can currently be watched at about 19:00 in the early evening.
Back to overview: South Africa
Average length of day in Pretoria

Sunrise and sunset in the most important cities of South Africa

City | Sunrise | Sunset | Hours of daylight |
---|---|---|---|
Durban | 05:22 am | 06:56 pm | 13:34 h |
Pietermaritzburg | 05:25 am | 06:58 pm | 13:33 h |
Newcastle | 05:30 am | 06:56 pm | 13:27 h |
Benoni | 05:39 am | 07:00 pm | 13:21 h |
Boksburg | 05:39 am | 07:01 pm | 13:21 h |
Tembisa | 05:40 am | 07:00 pm | 13:21 h |
Pretoria | 05:40 am | 07:00 pm | 13:20 h |
Johannesburg | 05:40 am | 07:01 pm | 13:21 h |
Vereeniging | 05:40 am | 07:03 pm | 13:23 h |
East London | 05:29 am | 07:14 pm | 13:45 h |
Krugersdorp | 05:41 am | 07:02 pm | 13:21 h |
Welkom | 05:42 am | 07:10 pm | 13:27 h |
Bloemfontein | 05:42 am | 07:14 pm | 13:31 h |
Port Elizabeth | 05:36 am | 07:25 pm | 13:49 h |
Cape Town | 06:05 am | 07:54 pm | 13:49 h |
Sunrise and sunset by month (Pretoria)
Month | Sunrise | Sunset | Hours of daylight |
---|---|---|---|
January | 05:28 am | 07:04 pm | 13:37 h |
February | 05:51 am | 06:51 pm | 13:00 h |
March | 06:07 am | 06:25 pm | 12:18 h |
April | 06:21 am | 05:53 pm | 11:32 h |
May | 06:36 am | 05:30 pm | 10:55 h |
June | 06:50 am | 05:25 pm | 10:35 h |
July | 06:51 am | 05:34 pm | 10:43 h |
August | 06:34 am | 05:49 pm | 11:15 h |
September | 06:03 am | 06:01 pm | 11:58 h |
October | 05:31 am | 06:14 pm | 12:43 h |
November | 05:09 am | 06:34 pm | 13:25 h |
December | 05:08 am | 06:55 pm | 13:47 h |
Where does the sun rise in South Africa?
The sun always rises in the east, everywhere and regardless of the country or continent. The easternmost city in South Africa is Richards Bay in the region of KwaZulu-Natal. There, the sun rises at 5:20 am and sets at 6:50 pm these days. The latest sunset is currently experienced in the west in the city of Springbok (Northern Cape) at 19:48.Duration of the sunset
The distance from the equator and the path of the sun determines not only the time of sunrise and sunset. The farther a country is from the equator, the more oblique the sun's path is to the horizon, causing sunset to last for a different duration. Pretoria lies on the 26th degree of southern latitude and is therefore quite far away from the equator. While a sunset near the equator lasts only about 20 minutes, in South Africa, this period averages 27 minutes. In June, it's about 26 minutes in Pretoria, while in December it's 28 minutes.International cities for comparison
City | Sunrise | Sunset | Hours of daylight |
---|---|---|---|
Berlin (Germany) | 07:47 am | 04:51 pm | 9:04 h |
New York (USA) | 07:06 am | 05:12 pm | 10:06 h |
Sydney (Australia) | 06:13 am | 08:03 pm | 13:49 h |
Manila (Philippines) | 06:23 am | 05:55 pm | 11:32 h |
Moscow (Russia) | 08:23 am | 05:02 pm | 8:39 h |
Shanghai (China) | 06:45 am | 05:29 pm | 10:43 h |
Helsinki (Finland) | 08:35 am | 04:32 pm | 7:57 h |