South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed veteran politician Roelf Meyer as the country’s ambassador to the United States, filling a post that was left vacant amid strained relations with the administration of Donald Trump.
Ramaphosa’s spokesman, Vicent Magwenya, confirmed the appointment in a message to the Associated Press and other news outlets. “I can confirm that President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Mr. Roelf Meyer as South Africa’s Ambassador to the US,” he said, effective immediately.
Who is Roelf Meyer?
Roelf Meyer served as a member of parliament from 1979 to 1997. He was defense minister from 1991 to 1992 under the white minority government of F.W. De Klerk’s National Party. Meyer later became a chief negotiator in the talks that ended apartheid and led to Nelson Mandela’s election as South Africa’s first Black president in 1994. He served in Mandela’s unity government as minister for constitutional development from 1994 to 1996. Meyer went on to found the United Democratic Movement, a centre-left party that currently holds three of 400 seats in the National Assembly; he is no longer a member.
Why are US–South Africa ties tense?
Tensions have risen after US President Donald Trump criticized South Africa’s ANC-led government and cut all financial assistance to the country. Trump accused the government of allowing a “white genocide” against Afrikaners and publicly confronted Ramaphosa over the issue during the South African president’s 2025 visit to Washington.
Trump has also offered a bespoke migration and asylum process for Afrikaners who say they feel persecuted in South Africa. Relations further frayed when South Africa’s previous ambassador, Ebrahim Rasool, was expelled in May last year after criticizing the Trump administration and accusing it of trying to “project white victimhood as a dog whistle.” Rasool’s remarks drew criticism at home for breaching diplomatic norms.
The appointment of Meyer follows Ramaphosa’s acceptance of conservative activist Leo Brent Bozell III as the new US ambassador to South Africa. The two countries are also at odds over South Africa’s decision to pursue an International Court of Justice case accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza. Trump boycotted the 2025 G20 leaders’ summit hosted by South Africa and has excluded South Africa from G20 meetings the US is hosting in Miami.
Beyond government disputes, prominent South African emigrants such as Elon Musk have been openly critical of the South African government, recently amplifying complaints about barriers to access for his Starlink service, which he says are racially motivated.
Trump used Ramaphosa’s visit to the US last May to raise the issue in front of reporters. Image: Evan Vucci/AP/picture alliance
Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru