South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Roelf Meyer, a key figure from the apartheid era, as the country's new ambassador to the United States, according to reports from BBC News.
Meyer, 78, served as a chief negotiator during the historic talks to end white-minority rule in the 1990s. He represented the National Party, the political group that institutionalized apartheid, while negotiating alongside the African National Congress.
Ramaphosa's spokesperson, Vincent Magwenya, confirmed the appointment to the BBC, stating that the move would be "immediate."
Restoring diplomatic ties
South Africa has lacked a high-level envoy in Washington since the expulsion of Ebrahim Rasool last year. Rasool was removed after accusing US President Donald Trump of using "white victimhood as a dog whistle."
According to the BBC, that incident worsened relations between Pretoria and Washington, which have declined following Trump's return to the White House.
Meyer previously served as the constitutional affairs minister in the final National Party government. He later joined the government of national unity established after Nelson Mandela assumed the presidency in 1994.
