LONDON - President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday landed in Britain ahead of the first state visit hosted by King Charles III as monarch.
Ramaphosa arrived at London Stansted airport on a South African Air Force jet, and was met by a British military guard of honour.
The official programme starts on Tuesday and will include a state banquet at Buckingham Palace.
The last state visit to the UK came in June 2019, when Queen Elizabeth II hosted US president Donald Trump and his wife Melania.
Climate change, trade and Charles's vision for the Commonwealth are expected to be on the agenda.
Also on the agenda is an address to lawmakers from both houses of parliament and a meeting with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in Downing Street.
Ramaphosa was last in London for the state funeral of the queen at Westminster Abbey in September.
His state visit comes more than a decade after the last by a South African leader, when Jacob Zuma came to the UK in 2010.
ARRIVAL: His Excellency President @CyrilRamaphosa arrives at the Stansted Airport in London where he is on a State Visit to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from 22 to 23 November 2022. #SAinUK 🇿🇦🇬🇧 #BetterAfricaBetterWorld 🌍 pic.twitter.com/n4wnioJ1TM
— Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) November 21, 2022