Cape Town – President Cyril Ramaphosa has defended the appointment of former apartheid-era minister Roelf Meyer as South Africa’s next ambassador to the United States, rejecting criticism over his political past and saying all diplomats must strictly represent government policy or be recalled.
Ramaphosa said Meyer, who later joined the ANC, is aligned with current government positions and that diplomatic neutrality does not mean diverging from official policy.
According to IOL, He stressed that ambassadors represent both the president and the state, and must return if they fail to do so.
“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 on the sidelines of the National Local Economic Development Summit on Wednesday in Johannesburg.
“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.
Roelf Meyer is a patriotic South African who has distinguished himself in the various roles he has served in. He is well qualified to execute his new role as South Africa’s Ambassador to the United States. pic.twitter.com/PLq9Y92YLz
— Cyril Ramaphosa 🇿🇦 (@CyrilRamaphosa) April 15, 2026
The appointment has sparked strong backlash, particularly from the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), which condemned it as “tone deaf” and an insult to South Africa’s democratic history.
The party pointed to Meyer’s senior roles in the apartheid government, including in defence and law and order, arguing he should not represent the country abroad.
Critics also raised concerns about the timing, linking it to commemorations of anti-apartheid leader Chris Hani and warning against rehabilitating former apartheid officials.
The ambassadorial post in Washington has been vacant since March 2025 after the previous envoy was expelled following diplomatic tensions with the United States.
Meyer, a key negotiator during South Africa’s transition to democracy in the early 1990s and later an ANC member from 2006, will take up the post once diplomatic formalities are completed.
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Compiled by Betha Madhomu
