Johannesburg – Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) says it welcomes Roelf Meyer’s appointment as the SA ambassador to the United States.
Meyer’s commitment to dialogue, reconciliation, and nation-building helped lay the foundation for South Africa’s transition to the new democratic dispensation in 1994.
In a statement made available to The Bulrushes on Wednesday, 15 April 2026, BLSA stated that Meyer “has demonstrated the maturity and political acumen” needed to enhance and strengthen ties between South Africa and the United States.
“Given the journey he has traversed and the personal investment he has made in building our democracy, Mr. Meyer is the right adult to place in the room to ensure we arrest any potential erosion in the relationship between Washington and Pretoria, considering the continued importance of the United States as a trading partner,” said BLSA CEO Busisiwe Mavuso.
The relationship between SA and the U.S. is economically vital.
The U.S. is a major export market, source of foreign investment, and a provider of employment opportunities for South Africans, with roughly 600 American companies operating in South Africa, many using it as a base for broader regional operations.
BLSA reiterates its belief that South Africa’s foreign policy must be evaluated through the lens of the country’s long-term economic and developmental interests.
“BLSA and its members stand ready to support Mr. Meyer in his efforts to strengthen relations with the United States, and we look forward to a new era of collaboration and exploring new opportunities arising from this appointment,” stated Mavuso.
Meyer replaces Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool, who was declared persona non grata and expelled by the Trump administration in March 2025.
Rasool, a veteran African National Congress (ANC) politician and former ambassador to Washington (2010-2015), took up the post again in January 2025.
Rasool was ordered to leave the U.S. after Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly accused him of being a “race-baiting politician who hates America and hates [President Donald Trump].”
The trigger was remarks Rasool made in a webinar hosted by a South African think-tank, where he described the MAGA movement as “mobilising a supremacism” and using “white victimhood as a dog whistle” amid demographic shifts in America.
The expulsion – rare for a full ambassador – drew a measured response from Pretoria, which called it “regrettable” while reaffirming its desire for constructive ties.
Rasool left Washington on deadline and received a hero’s welcome at Cape Town airport on 23 March 2025, where hundreds of supporters greeted him with songs and praise.
He said he left “with no regrets” and would wear the U.S. sanction as a “badge of dignity.”
While there has been pushback on Meyer’s appointment from some political parties, President Cyril Ramaphosa has defended his choice of the former apartheid-era minister, saying he’s always been a loyal and patriotic citizen.
The African Transformation Movement (ATM) said it “notes with outrage and deep disappointment the appointment of Meyer”.
The ATM added: “His appointment reinforces the perception that South Africa remains governed by an elite consensus that protects historical privilege rather than dismantling it.
“It sends a dangerous message that those who were part of an oppressive system can be continuously rehabilitated and rewarded, while the victims of that system are expected to remain patient in the face of persistent injustice.
President Ramaphosa and Meyer played prominent roles during the negotiations that led to SA’s democracy in 1994.
Meyer gained prominence in his position as the apartheid government’s chief negotiator in the Multiparty Negotiating Forum 1993, after the failure of CODESA, where he established an amicable and effective relationship with the ANC’s chief negotiator, Ramaphosa.
Key areas of frostiness between the U.S. and SA include:
- Land reform and alleged discrimination against white farmers: The U.S. has condemned South Africa’s Expropriation Act and land redistribution policies as “race-based discrimination” targeting Afrikaners. Washington suspended all aid, threatened tariffs, and launched a program to resettle Afrikaner refugees, claims Pretoria rejects as unfounded “genocide” rhetoric.
- Foreign policy divergences: South Africa’s non-aligned stance, close BRICS ties (especially with Russia, China, and Iran), joint naval exercises with Russia and Iran, and criticism of Israel (including the ICJ genocide case over Gaza) are viewed by the Trump administration as hostile to U.S. interests.
- G20 snubs and multilateral isolation: The U.S. boycotted South Africa’s 2025 G20 presidency, skipped key meetings, and excluded South Africa from the 2026 G20 summit in Miami.
- Trade and economic pressure: Washington has imposed some of the highest tariffs on South African exports in sub-Saharan Africa and questioned the country’s eligibility for the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).
- Aid cutoff: In February 2025, the U.S. halted all development assistance and health-program funding, citing human-rights concerns and South Africa’s international alignments.
These tensions have left bilateral relations at their lowest point since the end of apartheid, with both sides trading sharp public statements but no immediate signs of rapprochement.
