President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers a keynote address at the National Local Economic Development Summit at Birchwood Hotel & OR Tambo Conference Centre in Johannesburg. Ramaphosa has pushed back against public criticism of his appointment of apartheid era minister, Roelf Meyer as the country’s next ambassador to the United States.
Image: GCIS
President Cyril Ramaphosa has pushed back against public criticism of his appointment of apartheid era minister, Roelf Meyer as the country’s next ambassador to the United States.
Speaking on the sidelines of the National Local Economic Development Summit on Wednesday, Ramaphosa said that any ambassador who does not toe the South African government line will be recalled.
“One of the criticisms that has been levelled against Mr Meyer's appointment is that he joined the ANC. Now, you join the ANC, knowing well that you are embracing the policies that the ANC has articulated,” Ramaphosa told reporters.
“Now, I'm not putting emphasis on his political affiliation, and as a diplomat, he obviously needs to be as neutral as possible... Mr Roelf Meyer is well attuned with the policies of this country, of this government, and every ambassador who represents me, because as president, they represent the president and the country. Every ambassador who represents South Africa, in foreign missions, must comply and articulate the policies of the government that has sent him or her. If he doesn't, he must come back,” he said.
Ramaphosa’s remarks come against a backlash of criticism of the appointment with many citing Meyer’s role in propping up the apartheid regime and later negotiating a settlement that did not benefit the majority of South Africans.
On Wednesday, the Economic Freedom Fighters condemned Meyer’s appointment as South Africa’s ambassador to the United States, calling it “tone deaf” and an affront to the country’s democratic history.
In a statement on Wednesday, the EFF said Meyer’s record in the apartheid government disqualifies him from representing South Africa. It pointed to his roles as a National Party MP and later as deputy minister of law and order and minister of defence, positions it says placed him at the centre of state repression.
The party argued the move is especially offensive as it coincides with commemorations of Chris Hani, warning against the rehabilitation of apartheid era figures who later repositioned themselves as democrats.
It described it as a political provocation and a betrayal of the country’s democratic struggle.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the EFF said the move was “tone deaf” and amounted to a direct insult to South Africa’s history, particularly in the month the country marks the assassination of Chris Hani.
The party said Meyer’s record in the apartheid state made him unfit to represent democratic South Africa abroad. It described him as a senior National Party figure who served in Parliament from 1979 and later held posts including deputy minister of law and order and minister of defence.
The ambassadorial post in Washington has remained vacant since March 2025, when US President Donald Trump expelled then envoy, Ebrahim Rasool.
The move followed criticism Rasool made about the Make America Great Again movement during an academic discussion.
At the time, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused Rasool on social media of being a “race-baiting politician” and shared a report highlighting Rasool’s remarks on US immigration policies and diversity programmes.
According to the South African Broadcasting Corporation, Meyer’s selection reflects the government’s intention to rebuild diplomatic engagement following what officials have described as a turbulent year in bilateral ties.
During the early 1990s negotiations, Meyer was the National Party’s chief negotiator and worked close with Ramaphosa ultimately leading to the country’s first democratic elections in 1994.
Meyer formally joined the ANC in 2006.
The Presidency said Meyer will assume his duties in Washington once standard diplomatic procedures with US authorities have been finalised.
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