By Lesedi Sibiya-Diplomatic Insider

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Roelf Meyer as the country’s new ambassador to the United States. Meyer was a Chief negotiator during the talks to end apartheid in the 1990s. 

“I can confirm that President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Mr Roelf Meyer as South Africa’s Ambassador to the US,” said spokesperson of the Presidency, Vincent Magwenya. 

South Africa has been without an Ambassador in the United States since the dismissal of Ebrahim Rasool, after he made remarks about Trump’s administration during a webinar which declared him persona non grata.

Meyer was the chief representative of the National Party government during the 1993 negotiations to end apartheid. Ramaphosa served as the chief negotiator for the African National Congress (ANC) which was at the forefront of the liberation movement at the time. 

Meyer also served as a minister in the cabinet of Nelson Mandela which served as a multi-party government. In June 2025 Ramaphosa appointed Meyer to be a co-chair of Eminent Persons Group in order to lead the National Dialogue.

Meyer served as the Minister of Constitutional Development and Provincial Affairs in Nelson Mandela’s administration and quit the National Party in 1997 to form the United Democratic Movement alongside Bantu Holomisa who is the current deputy minister of Defence and Military Veterans.

Ties between South Africa and the United States have been strained over the course of these past two years due to South Africa taking Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2024 accusing Israel of perpetrating genocide against the people of Palestine.

US President Donald Trump also added fuel to the fire when he accused South Africa of a “white genocide”. South Africa is currently the largest trading partner of the United States in the African Continent as there are more than 600 US businesses and 30,000 US citizens based in the country.