Tuesday is the first day of what will be President Cyril Ramaphosa’s busy state visit to the United Kingdom.
Royal State Visits are the highest honor bestowed on a country by the United Kingdom in the furtherance of bilateral relations and as a symbol of respect and of the importance the UK ascribes to its relations with a particular country. #SAinUK 🇿🇦🇬🇧 #BetterAfricaBetterWorld 🌍 pic.twitter.com/1UGNbqs3gE
— Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) November 21, 2022
King Charles the Third and Queen Consort Camilla are hosting Ramaphosa.
Ramaphosa will also visit Westminster Abbey, a centuries-old medieval church that houses the graves of 17 monarchs and a memorial stone for the late former South African president, Nelson Mandela.
President Ramaphosa will receive a ceremonial welcome complete with a 63-gun salute at the Horse Guards Parade in Central London, followed by a tour of Buckingham Palace.
The tour will include an exhibition from the Royal Collection relating to South Africa.
The President will lay a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey, a memorial to soldiers killed in the First World War.
At the Palace of Westminster, he will deliver an address to members of the Houses of Commons, with the day culminating in a grand state banquet at Buckingham Palace.
SABC News Political Editor Mzwandile Mbeje reports on Ramaphosa’s arrival in the UK on Monday:
Protests
A few South Africans who reside in London held a small protest ahead of the president’s arrival at the South African Embassy.
They were protesting against issues such as rolling blackouts, calling for the president to address the energy issues.
In the video below, Mbeje speaks to the South Africans:
