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South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has named veteran political negotiator Roelf Meyer as the country\u2019s next envoy to the US, Vincent Magwenya, spokesperson in The Presidency, confirmed on Tuesday (14 April).<\/p>\n
This as\u00a0Pretoria seeks to steady relations with Washington after a turbulent year.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Meyer said he had no knowledge of the appointment when Bloomberg contacted him by phone earlier on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Listen\/read: Roelf Meyer hails GNU plan for South Africa<\/p>\n
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\u2019s democratic transition alongside Ramaphosa.<\/p>\n
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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\u2019s ANC to broker a settlement.<\/p>\n
Ties between Pretoria and Washington have been strained since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.<\/p>\n
Tensions escalated over Trump\u2019s repeated, unsubstantiated claims that South Africa is persecuting white farmers and seizing their land.<\/p>\n
Listen\/read:<\/p>\n
Tony Leon on trade, Trump, and diplomacy: What he\u2019d do as ambassador
\nRasool\u2019s boot from the USA: Did the ambassador overstep diplomatic boundaries?
\nEbrahim Rasool made \u2018unacceptable\u2019 comments, US says<\/p>\n
The US government declared Rasool persona non grata in 2025, after he described Trump\u2019s supporters as part of a \u201csupremacist movement\u201d.<\/p>\n
Last week, Ramaphosa accepted the credentials of newly appointed US envoy Leo Brent Bozell, signalling a potential reset in diplomatic ties.<\/p>\n
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Bozell met Meyer in March, during which the US envoy said he was \u201cprivileged\u201d to learn more about his role in South Africa\u2019s democracy.<\/p>\n
Read:<\/p>\n
South Africa accredits new US envoy amid tensions with Trump
\nSA appoints Thage to embassy in Washington \u2013 report<\/p>\n
Zane Dangor, Director-General of South Africa\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will be the kind of person who I think is ideally suited for the environment,\u201d Dangor was quoted as saying by the Daily Maverick news website.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u00a9\u00a02026\u00a0Bloomberg<\/p>\n
#Ramaphosa #names #Roelf #Meyer #envoy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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