Charles and Queen Consort Camilla joined through the heir to the throne, Prince William and his wife Catherine, to greet Ramaphosa and First Lady Tshepo Motsepe for a rite of welcome at the Horse Guards Parade in central London.
The parties then made their way to Buckingham Palace, the road covered with British and South African flags, in a procession of carriages escorted by the House Cavalry.
The two-day state is the first since Charles became king following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September.
The state of Ramaphosa comes more than a decade after the last of a South African leader, when Jacob Zuma prevailed in the United Kingdom in 2010.
Later in the day, Ramaphosa will go to parliament for a speech before the upper and lower houses.
An excursion to Westminster Abbey will come with the memorial stone of anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, who served as president of South Africa between 1994 and 1999.
In the evening, Ramaphosa will attend a state ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
Ramaphosa will also travel to Downing Street on Wednesday for talks with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
At the start of the visit, the UK and South African governments announced the launch of the next phase of the UK-South Africa Infrastructure Partnership.
“South Africa is already the UK’s largest trading partner on the continent, and we have ambitious plans to jointly boost infrastructure investment and economic growth,” Sunak said.
Trade with South Africa, the continent’s second-largest economy, is £10. 7 billion (€12. 7 billion) a year.
The UK government will also verify new grant-funded technical assistance to South Africa to unlock green hydrogen opportunities and build capacity in this key sector.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said Ramaphosa’s selection of Charles’ first state stop is a sign of the UK’s “enduring commitment” to Africa, even as it considers new partners in Asia after Brexit.
In addition to trade, climate change and Charles’ vision for the Commonwealth are also expected to be discussed during the visit.
Christopher Vandome, a senior fellow at the Institute of International Affairs at Chatham House in London, said “setting the tone will be crucial. “
The UK, a former colonial force in South Africa, will have to avoid lecturing about the UN voting record in Pretoria on the confrontation in Ukraine, he says, especially as South Africans are still dissatisfied with the lack of Western help in the Covid crisis.
But politicians in South Africa threaten to overshadow the ceremonial pomp and splendor of the state visit.
Ramaphosa, a protégé of Mandela, faces an indictment for allegedly covering up a crime, accused of covering up a multimillion-dollar robbery.
He faces a rate that he didn’t report a robbery at his luxury animal farm in which thieves took $4 million in money and arranged for thieves to be quietly kidnapped and bribed.
He is called to resign and the deeply divided African National Congress (ANC) is due to hold a vote on his leadership in December.
The president has declared a home invasion but denies kidnapping and corruption, the raid told police.
South African lawmakers will discuss the findings of a special panel next month on whether Ramaphosa deserves to be impeached.