Cape Town - Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of the Federal Republic of Germany, was greeted by a guard of honour on his arrival at Tuynhuys.
Steinmeier and his wife Elke Büdenbender were warmly welcomed by President Cyril Ramaphosa and first lady Dr Tshepo Motsepe.
The German president's state visit comes less than a month after Ramaphosa and German Chancellor Angela Merkel a bilateral meeting on the margins of the G20 Africa Summit in Berlin.
The German president and his delegation stopped off in Johannesburg on Monday, before travelling to Cape Town.
Speaking at the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg on Monday, Steinmeier said his three-day visit was aimed in part in helping Europeans understand that Africa is not a single entity but a continent of nations.
"My visit is intended in part to give people in Germany a more nuanced view of Africa, a continent of 54 states, with a fascinating history and unimaginably diverse culture. By the same token, there is no one Europe either. Europe, too, is diverse. The European Union alone comprises 28 states. Europe as a continent, like Africa, has more than 50 countries, countries with very different experiences and traditions. But also with very different problems."
A large business contingent accompanying Steinmeier includes executives from Siemens and state-owned development bank KfW.