PRESIDENT Robinson's arrival in Cape Town on the first day of her official visit yesterday may have coincided with the onset of some very "soft" Irish weather, but her host was still in a red carpet mood.
After escorting her from the airport to his Cape Town offices at Tuynhuys, President Nelson Mandela decided to take his guest down to the gates for an impromptu meeting with onlookers.
This was President Robinson from Ireland, he explained to an awe struck female, where they have very powerful women. He hoped that South African women could learn from the experience of their Irish counterparts without adopting the Irish temper.
The President decided to deploy her own common touch. "Is there anybody here from Ireland?" she asked. There wasn't. She then told the smiling crowd that she was delighted to be in South Africa which, she felt, had many links with Ireland. "Like the rain?", inquired a woman's voice from beyond the gate. Mrs Robinson laughed. "Yes, well..."
Despite his ordeal in a divorce court last week, Mr Mandela was in good spirits. Earlier that morning, waiting for Mrs Robinson's plane to arrive from Pretoria, his attention focused on a female reporter from the Sunday Tribune.
"Are you married by the way?" he asked her.
"No."
"Well, you see, I.. ." He stopped and a slow smile spread across his face. "1$ you propose to me I might accept.
Although official visits by heads of state are often purely formal affairs, the importance of this visit for both Ireland and South Africa became clear when both parties came to sign the first memorandum of understanding between the two countries.
In their discussions, the Minister of State for Defence, Mr Jim Higgins, the South African Minister for Water Affairs, Prof Kader Asmal, and Mr Mandela all touched on Ireland's forthcoming EU presidency.
Following her visit to Tuynhuys, Mrs Robinson travel led to her hotel, where she was called on by the Deputy President, Mr F.W. de Klerk, and the leader of the Inkatha Freedom Party, Chief Mangosuthu Buthelezi. In the afternoon, she addressed a joint session of the South African parliament and later visited a museum.