South Africa names apartheid-era negotiator as ambassador to US

Appointment of Roelf Meyer seen as attempt to improve relations amid false US accusations of genocide against Afrikaners

South Africa has appointed a former apartheid government chief negotiator during the talks that ended white rule in the 1990s as ambassador to the US, in what is seen as an attempt to improve the deeply strained diplomatic relationship between the two countries.

Roelf Meyer replaces Ebrahim Rasool, who was expelled in March 2025 after he criticised the Trump administration.