Cairo  - Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak headed on a brief trip to South Africa and Uganda to discuss economic cooperation with those two countries, Cairo airport sources said on Monday.

Mubarak is the first Egyptian president to visit South Africa since the overthrow of apartheid.

The Egyptian president is scheduled to meet South African President Thabo Mbeki on a visit until Wednesday.

On his return journey that day, he will make a brief stopover in Uganda to meet Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni before returning to Cairo late Wednesday. (dpa)