Africa · Southern Africa · Sovereign state
Current time in Zimbabwe
A single time zone at UTC+02:00.
Friday, June 5, 2026
About Zimbabwe's time
A single time zone.
Zimbabwe has a single time zone, Central Africa Time (CAT, UTC+2): and does not observedaylight saving time, keeping things simple year-round for businesses and travelers.
Major cities
Cities of Zimbabwe.
History
How Zimbabwe keeps time.
Zimbabwe’s use of Central Africa Time dates back to the colonial era when it was part of the British-administered federation of Southern and Northern Rhodesia, which standardized on UTC+2 in the early 20th century for administrative and railway coordination. Upon gaining independence in 1980, the newly named Zimbabwe retained CAT as its official time, aligning with regional partners like South Africa and Botswana. Unlike some countries in the region, Zimbabwe has never adopted daylight saving time; a brief trial during the Rhodesian UDI period in the late 1960s was quickly abandoned due to public resistance.
Did you know?
Things about Zimbabwe's time.
Despite being located well east of the prime meridian—placing its solar noon closer to 11:30 AM local clock time—Zimbabwe remains on UTC+2, contributing to notably early sunrises (around 4:30 AM in summer) and early sunsets (by 5:30 PM in winter). This mild mismatch between solar time and clock time affects daily routines, with intense daylight concentrated in the early morning hours. Zimbabwe shares its time zone with several neighboring countries including South Africa and Egypt, facilitating regional business coordination without cross-border scheduling complications.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Zimbabwe's time zone, daylight saving rules, and how to handle it in software. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- What time zone is Zimbabwe in?
- Zimbabwe operates in Central Africa Time (CAT), which is UTC+2:00 year-round.
- Does Zimbabwe observe daylight saving time?
- No—Zimbabwe does not observe daylight saving time, so the time remains the same throughout the year.
- Is the time in Zimbabwe the same as in South Africa?
- Yes, both Zimbabwe and South Africa follow Central Africa Time (UTC+2) and do not use daylight saving time, making their clocks identical at all times.
- What are typical sunrise and sunset times in Harare?
- In summer, sunrise can be as early as 4:30 AM and sunset around 6:15 PM; in winter, sunrise may occur around 6:15 AM and sunset by 5:15 PM.
- Can I use South African business hours as a reference for Zimbabwe?
- Absolutely—since both countries share the same time zone and don’t observe DST, South African schedules (e.g., office hours, banking times, or TV programs) translate directly to Zimbabwe.
Free · Developer API
Time, as JSON.
Every IANA time zone with live offsets, DST status, and the countries and cities that use them — clean, dependable JSON. Sign up free and get an API key in seconds.
countries, cities, convert, DST transitions coming next.
Get your free API key →