Several heads of state to witness Ramaphosa's inauguration

Eighteen heads of state and government, three former heads of state and government, and nine heads of delegation are expected to attend the inauguration of president-elect Cyril Ramaphosa today.

According to the Presidency, countries represented at the inauguration include Eswatini, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Angola, Tanzania, Uganda, China, Egypt, Palestine and Cuba.

By 6.30pm on Tuesday, Burundi's prime minister Gervais Ndirakobuca, Cuban vice-president Salvador Mesa and Namibian president Nangolo Mbumba were among guests who had arrived in the country.

Ramaphosa will be inaugurated at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. The swearing-in will be conducted by chief justice Raymond Zondo in the Nelson Mandela Amphitheatre.

The Presidency said the theme for the occasion is “30 years of democracy, partnership and growth”.

Other attendees will include representatives of regional, continental and international organisations and bodies such as SADC, the AU and UN.

Airports Company South Africa (Acsa) said the passenger terminal arrivals road and cargo road at OR Tambo International Airport will be closed from Tuesday until Saturday as a safety and security precautionary measure to facilitate the arrival and departure of heads of state.

To properly manage the flow of traffic, Acsa said vehicles on airport roads will be diverted by Ekurhuleni metro police to the departures (upper) road and parade 2 south, levels 2 and 3, for pickup and drop-off.

Ramaphosa's spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said: “The programme for the day will commence with a cultural programme for members of the public on the South Lawns of the Union Buildings at 9am. The cultural programme is a platform for local artists to showcase their talent and for us as a nation to share South Africa’s cultural diversity with our guests.

“This production will feature a combination of music genres and other cultural and artistic performances that will have a cross-over appeal that reflects our achievements in the past 30 years of our democracy. During the formal proceedings from 11am, the South African National Defence Force will perform the ceremonial elements of the inauguration as a demonstration of allegiance to the Republic and the Commander-In-Chief,” said Magwenya.

He said the ceremonial elements will include a 21-gun salute, a salute flight by the SA Air Force, inspection of a SA National Defence Force battalion, a battalion march past and a massed fly past.

Ramaphosa is expected to deliver his inaugural address.