South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Roelf Meyer, who served in the last government of the apartheid era, as his new ambassador to the US, as confirmed by his office.
The country has not had a top envoy in the US since Ebrahim Rasool was expelled last year after he accused President Donald Trump of trying to project white victimhood as a dog whistle, which worsened already strained relations between the nations.
Ramaphosa's spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, confirmed Meyer's appointment, stating it would take effect immediately.
I can confirm that President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Meyer as South Africa's ambassador to the US, he said.
Meyer, 78, played a key role as one of the chief mediators during the negotiations to end apartheid in the 1990s. He represented the National Party (NP), which established apartheid, while Ramaphosa represented the African National Congress under Nelson Mandela.
Meyer served as South Africa's constitutional affairs minister in the last NP government and later joined the coalition government after Mandela's election in 1994.
As he steps into this diplomatic role, Meyer must navigate complex dynamics in US-South African relations, particularly in light of the prior controversies.
