South Africa Appoints Veteran Negotiator Roelf Meyer as U.S. Envoy
The move follows the expulsion of former ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, who was declared persona non grata in 2025 after comments he made during a webinar on US politics. Frictions deepened afterward when Trump launched a refugee programme for...
Breaking a long-running diplomatic lull, President Cyril Ramaphosa has named Roelf Meyer as South Africa’s next ambassador to the United States, filling a role that has stood empty since 2025.
The move follows the expulsion of former ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, who was declared persona non grata in 2025 after comments he made during a webinar on US politics. Frictions deepened afterward when Trump launched a refugee programme for white South Africans, asserting that they face government-led persecution at home.
- Advertisement -
Meyer, a central figure in the negotiations that dismantled white minority rule in the 1990s, will assume the Washington, DC post once the requisite diplomatic protocols are finalized.
