President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed political veteran Roelf Meyer as South Africa’s ambassador to the United States, tasking him with rebuilding bilateral relations following a diplomatic crisis that saw the previous envoy expelled from Washington.
The president confirmed the appointment on the sidelines of the National Local Economic Development Summit in Boksburg on Wednesday, describing Meyer as a seasoned and capable diplomat suited to strengthening ties between Pretoria and Washington.
“Roelf Meyer is a South African, a very loyal and patriotic South African, who has distinguished himself in a number of areas where he has worked,” Ramaphosa said.
The appointment comes more than a year after South Africa’s former ambassador Ebrahim Rasool was declared persona non grata and expelled from the United States in March 2025. Then-secretary of state Marco Rubio ordered Rasool’s removal following controversial remarks the ambassador made during a webinar hosted by a South African think tank.
Rubio accused Rasool of hating the US and President Donald Trump, labelling him a “race-baiting politician”. Rasool’s comments suggested Trump was “mobilising supremacism” and projecting “white victimhood” as white Americans faced the prospect of becoming a minority. The incident marked a low point in US-South Africa relations, which had already been strained by Trump’s criticism of South Africa’s position on the International Court of Justice case against Israel.
Meyer’s diplomatic credentials are rooted in one of South Africa’s most critical negotiations. As minister of constitutional affairs in the final years of apartheid, he served as the National Party government’s chief negotiator during talks that led to South Africa’s first democratic elections in 1994. His counterpart across the table was Ramaphosa, then the African National Congress’s chief negotiator.
Born in July 1947, Meyer served as a member of parliament for the National Party from 1979 to 1997, holding various ministerial positions including minister of defence. After the democratic transition, he continued as minister of constitutional affairs in Nelson Mandela’s cabinet.
Meyer left the National Party in 1997 and co-founded the United Democratic Movement with Bantu Holomisa before retiring from active politics in 2000. He later joined the ANC in 2006, stating he did not intend to re-enter politics.
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Ramaphosa said Meyer’s recent international mediation work has sharpened his diplomatic skills. “Recently, he’s been involved in mediation processes in a number of countries, and that, in many ways, has sharpened his diplomatic skills, where he has been able to get involved either in conflict situations, trying to bring peace amongst differing warring parties at a very quiet level, continuing to assist even our government in these different diplomatic efforts.”
The president said Meyer has already begun engaging key stakeholders in the United States. “As it is now, he’s been interfacing with a number of people in the United States, both in Capitol Hill and in the various departments of the United States. Already a lot of interactions have taken place.”
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Meyer is expected to formally present his credentials to the US government. “I am more than hopeful that just as we have received and accepted the credentials of Ambassador Bozell, he will also be accredited equally in that manner,” Ramaphosa said.
The president underlined the importance of the United States as a strategic partner. “The United States is the largest economy in the world, and it still plays an important role in our own economic fortunes.”
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