--- title: "Ramaphosa taps fishing buddy Roelf Meyer as US ambassador" description: "Meyer’s negotiating nous and affable personality make him the perfect choice." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "AMBASSADOR APPOINTED" author: "Ferial Haffajee" author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/ferialhaffajee/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-15-ramaphosa-taps-fishing-buddy-roelf-meyer-as-us-ambassador/" published: "2026-04-15T09:22:41" updated: "2026-04-15T16:01:22" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 669 --- # Ramaphosa taps fishing buddy Roelf Meyer as US ambassador > Meyer’s negotiating nous and affable personality make him the perfect choice. By Ferial Haffajee · Published 15 April 2026, 11:22 SAST · Updated 15 April 2026, 18:01 SAST ## Key points - President Cyril Ramaphosa appoints Roelf Meyer, a longtime ally, as South Africa's ambassador to the US, aiming to strengthen bilateral ties. - Meyer, a seasoned negotiator with a history of peace initiatives, is tasked with improving trade relations amidst challenges, including the extension of the African Growth and Opportunity Act. - His extensive network in Washington and commitment to promoting South Africa's values are seen as vital for navigating the complexities of US politics. - The appointment comes at a crucial time as both nations seek stability in their relationship amid geopolitical uncertainties. ## Content The Presidency has confirmed the choice of Roelf Meyer as South Africa’s ambassador to the US. Meyer is a seasoned negotiator who formed a close relationship with President Cyril Ramaphosa when each led their respective teams in talks to end apartheid. The two struck up a rapport that has lasted and now Meyer (78) takes up the hot seat in Washington, the Presidency confirmed in a late-night statement after [Reuters](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-14-south-african-president-chooses-roelf-meyer-as-next-ambassador-to-us/?dm_source=blocks-list-item&dm_medium=card-link&dm_campaign=inform) revealed it. Meyer leads a global consultancy, the In Transformation Initiative, where he has taken his negotiating nous global, engaging in peace initiatives in countries around the world and in negotiating complex processes in South Africa. ![Roelf Meyer (National Party) and Cyril Ramaphosa (ANC) during the Codesa talks on 21 November 1993. (Photo: Gallo Images / Tiso Blackstar Group)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/sJ39i01UOMaRYE83Bc_E_lPvLzA=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/AV_00070868.jpg) *Roelf Meyer, who represented the National Party, and Cyril Ramaphosa, for the ANC, during the Codesa talks on 21 November 1993. (Photo: Gallo Images / Tiso Blackstar Group)* ![Fer-Meyer-ambassador](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/fPTyuWxIMqXcMuyDh-5AU2cqdB4=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/HF5HDFgXAAAzD-M_767330.jpg) *Roelf Meyer and Cyril Ramaphosa. (Photo: Lunathi Kilani / X)* His affable personality can take on belligerence and absorb or challenge it, possibly his strongest pull factor as Ramaphosa sought a leader who can hold South Africa’s position when faced with a Trump presidency that has attacked the country many times since he took over, according to the Daily Maverick’s Trump Tracker. [Read more Ramaphosa has an ambassador to the US, but mum’s the word April 13, 2026 ![Image](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/1HdQQ-WYl5O9ZLd8lZY_7JucQXg=/450x0/smart/file/attachments/2984/tim-atb_159036_47cd87f3d50f751014aaf5d95442e1cf.jpg)](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-13-ramaphosa-has-an-ambassador-to-the-us-but-mums-the-word/) “He has the networks in both parties in \[Washington DC\] to engage with both on the key issues concerned. He is *au fait*and 100% on board with a rights-based approach, including our approach on Palestine,” said a diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity. “He will use his skills and experience to promote our values and interests without selling out our principles.” ![Fer-Meyer-ambassador](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/GWnH3rVS8HLFaAgDUiq6BPs0r4k=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/Becs-roelfmeyer-option-2.jpg) *Politician and businessman Roelf Meyer during an interview about his involvement in a private sector and government initiative to improve the country’s economy in Pretoria on 4 July 2019. (Photo: Gallo Images / Netwerk24 / Felix Dlangamadla)* Meyer has a tough task to rebuild political and trade relationships with the US, both of which have hit the skids. South Africa runs a significant trade surplus with the US and Meyer’s first order of business will be to try to ensure the African Growth and Opportunity Act is extended. Daily Maverick Connect What do we need from our ambassador to the US? [Have your say](https://connect.dailymaverick.co.za/t/what-do-we-need-from-a-south-african-ambassador-in-dc/3718?utm_source) Under a [short extension](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-03-13-agoa-extension-offers-little-relief-as-us-trade-chaos-rattles-african-exporters/), this preferential access deal underpins $15-billion in total bilateral trade, especially in auto and citrus exports. The motor manufacturing industry depends on this agreement. Meyer was born in what is now Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) and was political from a young age as chair of the Afrikaanse Studentebond. He became a National Party MP in 1979 for Johannesburg West and by 1988 had seen the writing on the wall and realised change was inevitable. Associated with the “verligte” or enlightened wing of the NP, he got to know the unionist and negotiator Ramaphosa well and their relationship was one of the reasons that talks to end apartheid succeeded. ![Then ANC secretary-general Cyril Ramaphosa, President Nelson Mandela, Deputy President FW de Klerk and, on the far right, National Party Gauteng leader Roelf Meyer. (Photo: Robert Botha / Gallo Images)](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/JHX4FcIdsstykPZhfJ-jAvTDxm0=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/dailymaverick/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/AV_00069014.jpg) *Then ANC secretary-general Cyril Ramaphosa, President Nelson Mandela, Deputy President FW de Klerk and, on the far right, National Party Gauteng leader Roelf Meyer. (Photo: Robert Botha / Gallo Images)* While the newly installed US ambassador to South Africa, Leo Brent Bozell III, has made headlines after he faced an early [demarche](https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-03-11-new-spat-brews-with-us-after-sa-rebukes-bukes-ambassador-bozell-for-undiplomatic/) from International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola after saying he did not agree with a freedom of speech judgment, he has, in fact, assiduously been building relationships. ![Cyril-Letters of Credence](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/-9JqabqhqKQZLEBbxcDQXwx6qhY=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/WhatsAppImage2026-04-08at122541_491248.jpeg) *President Cyril Ramaphosa receives Letter of Credence and Letter of Recall from Head of Mission Designate, Leo Brent Bozell lll of the US during the Credentials Ceremony held at the Sefako M. Makgatho Presidential Guesthouse in Pretoria. (Photo: Jairus Mmutle/GCIS)* This week, Bozell met former president Thabo Mbeki at the statesman’s foundation, while he has also put in time at the Apartheid Museum and other places that contain South Africa’s story. Meyer’s appointment may suggest that an important relationship for both the US and South Africa is being steadied even in a time of unprecedented geopolitical uncertainty. **DM**