PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA - AUGUST 15: Cyril Ramaphosa and Roelf Meyer during day 1 of the First National Convention of the National Dialogue of South Africa at UNISA, Pretoria Main Campus on August 15, 2025. The first national convention is a precursor to the National Dialogue and it aims to identify South Africa's most pressing challenges. (Photo by Gallo Images/Frennie Shivambu)
President Cyril Ramaphosa has been praised for reading the room right and appointing Roelf Meyer as US envoy – but experts are divided over his choice.
AfriForum CEO Kallie Kriel said the last thing the country needed now was for yet another ANC cadre to be deployed as SA’s ambassador to the US.
AfriForum slams Meyer as ANC cadre
“Roelf Meyer is an ANC cadre. A principled ambassador is needed who can engage with the US competently in the interest of SA.
“His history shows that he is willing to dramatically reposition himself to suit his own personal interests. His joining the ANC is a prime example. His shifting between parties and his eventual alignment with the ANC do not reflect steadfastness,” he said.
Political analyst Rene Oosthuizen said the appointment clearly signals a focus on caution and continuity on the part of SA in navigating the country’s relations with the US.
“However, I question whether this appointment speaks to present-day diplomatic capacity.
“While Meyer’s experience may offer stability in the current volatile SA-US relations, I would caution that shaping our diplomatic positioning around the unpredictability of figures like Donald Trump is itself a strategic risk,” she said.
Oosthuizen was concerned that this appointment signals an unwillingness or inability to grow a new generation of diplomatic talent and expertise capable of dealing with complex global dynamics.
Meyer and Ramaphosa’s lifelong friendship
Benjamin Rapanyane, senior political science lecturer at North-West University, said Meyer played a fundamental role as one of the chief mediators with Ramaphosa during the talks to end apartheid in the ’90s.
“During that period, the two (Meyer and Ramaphosa) transformed their formal relations into a lifelong friendship.
“But beyond friendship, Meyer is well experienced in government, articulate and attuned with the politics of SA,” he added.
Political analyst Daniel Silke said Meyer was highly capable and a negotiator of note.
“Ramaphosa has clearly decided to choose someone who is relatively non-ideological rather than go with someone who is in his inner-circle who may well be more ideological.”
Silke said this was more a reflection on how limited Ramaphosa’s choices are with those close to him and how he needs to reach out to a much more nuanced operator like Meyer.
Limited choices
“It also shows ultimately Ramaphosa wants to reach out to the US and find common ground, and has appointed someone who has global reach. Someone who is not seen as an ideologue, which would be a red bull to the Trump administration.”
Silke said Ramaphosa has read the room right in terms of this type of appointment.
“Whether or not the Trump administration was willing to sit down and re-engage SA remains to be seen, and whether SA is willing to shift some of the more extreme aspects of our foreign policy, as well as perhaps some of the domestic policies, remains to be seen as well,” he added.
The core issues that have separated SA and the US remain, but from a SA point of view, Meyer represents a seriously considered appointment that will be welcomed in broader diplomatic circles in Washington, Silke said.
Political analyst Piet Croucamp said Meyer was what they referred to in the US as the founding father of the constitution. “He has been involved in facilitating difficult conversations on several continents, South America, Sri Lanka, Ireland and in Africa.
“Meyer is seasoned and experienced and knows how to get people together.
‘Natural diplomat’
“He is a natural diplomat. What more do you want? I can think of nobody more experienced and better suited than Meyer for this particular job at this time.
“Somebody who has to negotiate the sometimes-ill-conceived ideas of the Trump administration with the sometimes-opportunistic interests of SA.” Croucamp said it’s a fine balance.
“President Ramaphosa needed to find somebody who never spoke ill of Trump because if there was a trace on social media … you might be refused entry into America.
“It’s a good decision and a brave one and a difficult task for Meyer, who knows how to do this job.”
