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 in a blue suit and tie as he stands outside the Union Buildings 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 (NP), which introduced apartheid, while Ramaphosa represented the African National Congress led by Nelson Mandela. Meyer was constitutional affairs minister in the last NP government and went on to join the government of national unity formed in 1994 when Mandela became president. Ebrahim Rasool, wearing a suit and a scarf in South African colours, speaking in 2013. The expelled envoy at the heart of the latest US-South Africa row Ramaphosa keeps cool during Trump's choreographed onslaught 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 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. The conflict, which erupted in 2023, has left behind a human toll which is "simply staggering", reports the BBC's Barbara Plett Usher. Diesel prices rise by a record margin despite a reduction in value added tax. The White House is considering a bid for the late MP to receive America's highest civilian honour. The United Nations' secretary general said it was "highly probable" that the negotiations would restart. The Trump administration is asking a court to throw out the convictions of Stewart Rhodes and other members of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys.