President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Roelf Meyer as South Africa’s next ambassador to the United States, his office announced Tuesday.
His appointment comes amid sensitive diplomatic tensions between Pretoria and Washington under President Donald Trump, following an earlier expulsion.
Presidential spokesman Vincent Magwenya confirmed the appointment and said Meyer would assume duties after completing Washington protocols formal administrative procedures.
Meyer, 78, was a reformist minister in the last apartheid government and key transition figure to democracy South Africa transition period.
Meyer served as chief negotiator for National Party in early 1990s talks to end apartheid system constitutional transition peace process.
He left National Party in 1997 to co-found United Democratic Movement, which failed to gain broad appeal political consolidation efforts.
In 2006 Meyer joined African National Congress, formerly his political adversary during anti-apartheid struggle post-apartheid reconciliation political shift process.
Ramaphosa recently received credentials of new US ambassador Brent Bozell, a conservative media critic and Trump supporter official diplomatic ceremony.
Ties between both countries remain strained over South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at UN court and Trump’s Afrikaner claims.
Meyer belongs to Afrikaans minority, which the South African government strongly denies is being persecuted official government position statement clarified.
Washington expelled South Africa’s previous ambassador in March last year after he criticised Trump’s MAGA movement political diplomatic bilateral fallout.
South Africa remains the United States’ largest trading partner in Africa, hosting hundreds of US firms and thousands of citizens.