Jacob Zuma arrived at Parliament for the annual opening ceremony just after 10am on Friday.
He was driven to the entrance of the National Assembly building in a black BMW. When the car door was opened for him, by a uniformed Defence Force officer, he walked up the red carpet and was greeted by Speaker Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde, while a navy band played near by.
Zuma, in a grey suit, was accompanied by a daughter.
President Kgalema Motlanthe is due to deliver his State of the Nation address shortly after 11am.
Earlier, MPs and guests, many of them sporting outfits specially made for the occasion, posed for photographers as they arrived for the ceremony.
There was a mix of traditional dress, Afro-chic and more conventional designer- and store-bought outfits.
Meanwhile, former president Thabo Mbeki will not attend the opening of Parliament on Friday, his spokesperson said.
Mukoni Ratshitanga said Mbeki — who was recalled from office in September — had already made other plans by the time the invitation had arrived.
”Regrettably, the former president will not be attending the opening of Parliament because by the time the invitation came he had already committed himself to another engagement of which he could not pull out,” Ratshitanga was quoted as saying by the South African Press Association.
The national executive committee of the African National Congress (ANC) recalled Mbeki from office last year after a Pietermaritzburg High Court ruling hinted at political interference in the decision to prosecute ANC leader Jacob Zuma on graft charges.
President Kgalema Motlanthe was appointed as caretaker president.
Zuma on Thursday evening paid tribute to Motlanthe, saying he had unified the country.
”He [Motlanthe] had led the country well … he held the nation together during a difficult time after the recall of the then president of the republic,” said Zuma.
Recent reports of party infighting have suggested that some ANC members were not happy with the way in which Motlanthe ran the country. – Sapa