Ramaphosa names Roelf Meyer as next US envoy

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has named veteran political negotiator Roelf Meyer as the country’s next envoy to the US, Vincent Magwenya, spokesperson in The Presidency, confirmed on Tuesday (14 April).

This as Pretoria seeks to steady relations with Washington after a turbulent year.

Meyer, 78, had been tipped to replace Ebrahim Rasool as ambassador earlier in the day, according to people who asked not to be identified as the information was not yet public.

Meyer said he had no knowledge of the appointment when Bloomberg contacted him by phone earlier on Tuesday.

Listen/read: Roelf Meyer hails GNU plan for South Africa

Meyer, a white Afrikaner who served as constitutional affairs minister during the apartheid era, is widely regarded as one of the architects of South Africa’s democratic transition alongside Ramaphosa.

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He played a central role in negotiations that led to the end of white-minority rule, working closely with leaders of Ramaphosa’s ANC to broker a settlement.

Ties between Pretoria and Washington have been strained since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.

Tensions escalated over Trump’s repeated, unsubstantiated claims that South Africa is persecuting white farmers and seizing their land.

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The US government declared Rasool persona non grata in 2025, after he described Trump’s supporters as part of a “supremacist movement”.

Last week, Ramaphosa accepted the credentials of newly appointed US envoy Leo Brent Bozell, signalling a potential reset in diplomatic ties.

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Bozell met Meyer in March, during which the US envoy said he was “privileged” to learn more about his role in South Africa’s democracy.

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Zane Dangor, Director-General of South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation, said on Monday that Ramaphosa had made a decision on who will be the next ambassador to Washington, without identifying the nominee.

“It will be the kind of person who I think is ideally suited for the environment,” Dangor was quoted as saying by the Daily Maverick news website.

Meyer currently serves as a director of the In Transformation Initiative, a non-profit that he helped found that promotes democratic transitions and conflict resolution.

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