The President, Mrs McAleese, left yesterday for South Africa, where she will attend the inauguration of the President, Mr Thabo Mbeki, in Pretoria tomorrow.
The President will spend three days in South Africa and has a number of engagements scheduled.
She is expected to arrive in Johannesburg this morning and later will be given a briefing by representatives of aid agencies at the Irish Ambassador's residence. This evening she will attend a reception for the Irish community given by the Ambassador, Mr Hugh Swift.
Tomorrow the President will attend the inauguration of Mr Mbeki, who succeeds Mr Nelson Mandela. Mr Mbeki, of the African National Congress, was the state's deputy president.
State and government representatives from all over the world are expected to attend the inauguration ceremony.
On Thursday, Mrs McAleese will fly to Cape Town and visit the AIDS hospice at Nazareth House. This will be followed by a briefing by AIDS agencies and a reception for the Irish community in the evening.
She will leave South Africa on Friday.