Issued by: The Department of Foreign Affairs
Her Majesty Queen Beatrix will pay a State Visit to South Africa from 30 September to 3 October 1996, at the invitation of President Mandela. She will be accompanied by His Royal Highness Prince Claus and His Royal Highness The Prince of Orange as well as the Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Hans van Mierlo and a number of officials.
Queen Beatrix will follow a comprehensive and varied programme in order to experience as fully as possible the many facets of South Africa and its people. She will be visiting various places in both the Gauteng and the Western Cape Provinces. During the visit a Cultural Agreement will be signed between South Africa and the Netherlands by the respective Ministers of Foreign Affairs.
This will be the first visit by a ruling Dutch monarch and will further strengthen the extensive bilateral relations between the two countries.
ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS.
Pretoria 29 AUGUST 1996