South Africa names apartheid-era politician as new ambassador to the US

Roelf Meyer played a key role as a negotiator during talks to end white-minority rule in South Africa. Roelf Meyer: South Africa names apartheid-era politician as new ambassador to the US Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Roelf Meyer played a key role as a negotiator during talks to end white-minority rule in South Africa Roelf Meyer is seen speaking at a government event. He's wearing a navy blue suit and light blue tie South Africa names apartheid-era politician as new ambassador to the US 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, his office has said. 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". This worsened already strained relations between the nations, which took a downward spiral after Trump's return to office last year. Ramaphosa's spokesperson Vincent Magwenya confirmed Meyer's appointment to the BBC, saying it would be "immediate". "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, alongside Ramaphosa, during the talks to end the racist system of white-minority rule known as apartheid in South Africa in the 1990s. He was the chief representative of the National Party, which introduced apartheid, while Ramaphosa represented the African National Congress (ANC) led by Nelson Mandela. During that period, the two enjoyed a fishing trip together and went on to form a lifelong friendship. Meyer was part of a group of 32 prominent South Africans the president chose last year to guide the national dialogue, a process aimed at addressing the country's various challenges. Donald Trump is behind Cyril Ramaphosa as he welcomes him to the White House in Washington, DC, on 21 May 2025 Ramaphosa struggles to mend fences with Trump A person in a dark pinstripe suit holding a pen, with a colourful paisley-patterned tie and a pocket square visible. New US ambassador to South Africa summoned over 'undiplomatic remarks' He was constitutional affairs minister in the last apartheid government and later joined the government of national unity formed in 1994 when Mandela became president. He left just two years later and went on to co-found the United Democratic Movement. He later became a member of the ANC. Meyer, a white Afrikaner, was considered a reformist within the NP and would later be considered a traitor by some right-wing Afrikaners for his role in the peace talks. Afrikaners are mostly white descendants of early European settlers and President Trump has said they are currently facing a genocide and persecution in South Africa - a claim that is widely discredited. This was part of the reason he announced a pause in aid to the country early last year and introduced a policy welcoming Afrikaners as refugees. Ramaphosa has said it was "completely false" to claim that "people of a certain race or culture are being targeted for persecution". A man wearing sunglasses on his head with his arm around a woman. They are standing on the left and each holding a mini American flag. To their right, is an older woman. Behind her is a man. The background appears to be a black curtain. US has let in 4,499 refugees since October - all but three were South African A head and shoulders image of farmer Marthinus. He is wearing a blue puffer jacket and a blue shirt and white vest can be seen underneath it. White South Africans divided on US refugee offer People from the first group of white South Africans granted refugee status in the US hold US flags as they attend a meet and greet event, at Dulles International Airport Is there a genocide of white South Africans as Trump claims? A woman looking at her mobile phone and the graphic BBC News Africa Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent. for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica Leo Brent Bozell apologises after weighing in on a dispute rooted in the country's apartheid past. The men believed they were going to Russia for training as bodyguards but ended up on the front line. The US boycotted the G20 summit in Johannesburg over widely discredited claims of persecution of the white minority. It follows a warning from the US president that America's trade deal with the UK "can always be changed". Leading conservative Catholics tell the BBC why they back the American pontiff in his spat with Trump. As the conflict enters its fourth year, journalist Mohamed Suleiman shudders at what has been lost. Diesel prices rise by a record margin despite a reduction in value added tax. CCTV footage shows a high school principal charging towards a former student who was armed in Oklahoma.