Africa · Southern Africa · Sovereign state
Current time in Zimbabwe
A single time zone at UTC+02:00.
Thursday, October 15, 2026
About Zimbabwe's time
A single time zone.
Zimbabwe has a single time zone, Central Africa Time (CAT, UTC+2) and does not observe daylight 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: Southern Rhodesia adopted UTC+2 in the early 20th century. 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.
Did you know?
Things about Zimbabwe's time.
Harare lies at about 31°E, close to the 30°E meridian that UTC+2 is based on, so solar noon falls within about 20 minutes of 12:00 by the clock all year. Zimbabwe shares UTC+2 with all its neighbors — South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Mozambique — facilitating regional business coordination without cross-border scheduling complications.
Convert
Zimbabwe to the world's clocks.
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. Zimbabwe uses Central Africa Time and South Africa uses South Africa Standard Time, but both are 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 is as early as about 5:10 AM and sunset as late as about 6:35 PM; in winter, sunrise is around 6:25 AM and sunset around 5:30 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.
Source: IANA tzdb2026d · Reviewed
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