Announcement of the UK State Visit by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa

The British High Commission in Pretoria has welcomed the news that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will pay a State Visit to the United Kingdom to meet The King and The Queen Consort.

This is the first invitation of a State Visit made by His Majesty King Charles III.

British High Commissioner to South Africa, Antony Phillipson said:

I am delighted that President Cyril Ramaphosa, accompanied by Dr Tshepo Motsepe, has accepted an invitation from His Majesty King Charles III to pay a State Visit to the United Kingdom from Tuesday, 22 November to Thursday, 24 November 2022. The King and The Queen Consort will host the State Visit at Buckingham Palace.

This will be the first State Visit hosted by His Majesty. It reflects the importance of the relationship between South Africa and the United Kingdom. The visit will offer a chance to celebrate our modern-day partnerships delivering prosperity and security for both countries, as well as to set out how we can work together bilaterally and globally to strengthen those links for the future.

Over the next few weeks the British High Commission will work closely with the Presidency, the Department for International Relations and Cooperation, and the South African government to finalise the details of the President’s State Visit.

His Majesty The King has visited South Africa on a number of occasions. His Majesty’s first visit was to Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town from 31 October to 5 November 1997. The King and The Queen Consort also visited Pretoria and Johannesburg from 2 to 6 November 2011. The King and Queen Consort also attended the funeral of President Nelson Mandela on 15 December 2013.

Her Late Majesty The Queen invited President Nelson Mandela to pay a State Visit to the UK in July 1996. She also invited President Thabo Mbeki to pay a State Visit to the UK in June 2001, and President Jacob Zuma to pay a State Visit to the UK in March 2010.

The press release from Buckingham Palace announcing the State Visit can be found here: Announcement of the State Visit by the President of South Africa (PDF, 156 KB, 2 pages).

Further details of the State Visit programme will be announced in due course.