Ousted Haitian president Mr Jean Bertrand Aristide arrived in South Africa today for an indefinite stay and was welcomed by President Thabo Mbeki.
Several members of Mr Mbeki's cabinet, diplomats and Mozambique's foreign minister - representing the 53-member African Union - were also there to greet the former Haiti ruler, who stepped off a South African airforce jet onto a red carpet at Johannesburg International Airport.
Mr Aristide left Haiti on February 29th during an armed revolt and was flown to the Central African Republic on a flight arranged by the United States.
He travelled to Jamaica to be reunited with his children and arrange exile elsewhere, and South Africa approved his asylum request two weeks ago.
His stay in South Africa will be open-ended and would last until the situation in his homeland normalises, South African Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad said.