King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium are making their first trip to the African continent on their five-day official visit.
They will be joined by an entourage that comprises senior Belgian Cabinet ministers and representatives, underscoring the fact that Belgium is South Africa’s third-largest buyer of commodities from the European Union and its fifth-largest exporter of goods from that country.
The Belgian monarch’s visit will further ties between Belgium and South Africa.
The king and the queen are scheduled to tour Gauteng and the Western Cape when they arrive. They will meet Ramaphosa at the Union Buildings and tour Freedom Park. The queen will also take part in a talk on social entrepreneurship at the University of Pretoria.
Prior to the pair and their entourage attending a meal hosted by Ramaphosa at his Sefako Makgato Presidential Guest House, the king and Ramaphosa will both speak at a business forum in Pretoria.
A tour of Soweto that includes stops at a daycare centre in Orlando East and the Hector Pieterson Memorial in Orlando West will take place on Friday in addition to visits to several Belgian businesses around Gauteng.
The Western Cape premier Allan Winde will host the royal couple in Cape Town over the weekend.