South Africa has not had an ambassador in Washington since the Donald Trump administration expelled Ebrahim Rasool in March 2025.
President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Roelf Meyer as South Africa’s Ambassador to the United States.
The Presidency made the announcement on Tuesday, 15 April 2026.
SA ambassador to US
“I can confirm that President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Mr Roelf Meyer as South Africa’s Ambassador to the U.S.,” Ramaphosa’s spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, told Reuters.
South Africa has not had an ambassador in Washington since the Donald Trump administration expelled Ebrahim Rasool in March 2025, declaring him persona non grata and giving him just a week to leave the US over his comments about the administration.
Negotiator
The 78-year-old Meyer is a seasoned negotiator who played a pivotal role in the transition to democracy in the 1990s and brings immense experience in bridging deep political divides.
Meyer is famously known for his pivotal role as the chief negotiator for the white minority National Party government during the talks to end apartheid in the 1990s, where he worked closely with Ramaphosa, then the chief negotiator for the ANC.
Cabinet
After South Africa’s first democratic elections in 1994, Meyer served in Nelson Mandela’s cabinet as Minister of Constitutional Development and Provincial Affairs.
Meyer also co-founded the United Democratic Movement (UDM) with Bantu Holomisa in 1997 before retiring from active politics in 2000.
Since retiring, he has acted as a consultant for peace processes in regions such as Northern Ireland, Rwanda, Kosovo, and the Middle East.
US meeting Meyer
Last month, the new US ambassador to South Africa, Leo Brent Bozell III, met Meyer to discuss challenges between the US and South Africa.
“A privilege to meet Roelf Meyer today and learn more about the work he did to help create South Africa’s democracy. Our countries share a commitment to dialogue, democratic values, and working together to address today’s challenges.”
US tensions
The deterioration of relations between South Africa and the US escalated after Trump signed an executive order suspending US aid to South Africa and announcing a refugee programme targeting Afrikaners.
The Trump administration has also repeatedly accused South Africa of conducting what it has termed a “white genocide” against Afrikaners – claims strongly rejected by the South African government.
Further signalling the diplomatic rift, the US largely abstained from participating in G20 activities hosted by South Africa last year.
Trump has also publicly stated that South Africa would not be welcome in the US for G20-related events scheduled for 2026.
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