President Cyril Ramaphosa’s appointment of his erstwhile pre-1994 negotiating partner Roelf Meyer as South Africa’s next ambassador to the US has, predictably, evoked a mixed reaction of praise and criticism.
Although he had been tipped by some as an outsider for the role, the choice of Meyer is still a surprise given that the posting is arguably South African diplomacy’s top job, and a a delicate moment in our relations with a capricious superpower.
Critics such as the EFF and ActionSA demanded Ramaphosa undo the appointment, the EFF calling instead for “a bold, uncompromising anti-imperialist posture” and ActionSA saying it was “compromising our freedom”.
The DA welcomed the move, saying Meyer’s goal “should be the swift repair of South Africa’s trade relationship with the US”.
The ANC called it “a masterstroke strategic deployment”, while the FF Plus and Afrikaner organisations, such as AfriForum, argued Meyer was a divisive figure among Afrikaners, an ANC member who could not be trusted with Afrikaner interests, which are so close to US President Donald Trump’s heart.
Perhaps ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula voiced what many thought when he said, “Racist AfriForum is not happy that an Afrikaner will now dispel the lie that there is a white genocide in South Africa.”
Whether Meyer, even as a skilled negotiator, will make any impression on Trump’s world view remains to be seen, but it’s a long shot given past experience, most obviously Ramaphosa’s ill-fated visit to the White House last year
But in the parallel universe of Trump, that shouldn’t be taken for granted. The “white genocide” claim has been an immutable refrain from the Trump White House, a response many think is reprisal for South Africa charging Israel with genocide.
Whether Meyer, even as a skilled negotiator, will make any impression on Trump’s world view remains to be seen, but it’s a long shot given past experience, most obviously Ramaphosa’s ill-fated visit to the White House last year. But if Meyer can advance a more nuanced and informed view of developments in South Africa, and the challenges we face, his posting could prove its worth and justify Ramaphosa’s decision. Trade and investment must be his priority.
In any event, even as Meyer chisels away at deluded Trump notions, South Africa continues to be seen to align itself with enemies of the US, such as Iran. One shouldn’t overlook that the fracture in US-South Africa relations began before the second Trump era after South Africa was accused of siding with Russia in the war in Ukraine.
Certainly, as the critics suggest, Ramaphosa has made a complete about-turn in tone with the choice of Meyer, coming just a year after Ebrahim Rasool was expelled for remarks said to have offended Trump.
Though Rassool had been ambassador to the US before, his outspoken support for the Palestinian cause was always going to be a red rag to the US bull. Compared with Rasool, Trump will be hard-pressed to object to Meyer, even if he wants to.
Meyer is an extremely competent negotiator and should make an excellent diplomat in a tough post. In the absence of a change in South Africa’s Global South-facing rhetoric, its embrace of states the US sees as an enemy and the refusal to relax BEE policies that are the reason for Elon Musk’s disqualification from our market, it’s a reasonable suspicion that Meyer’s appointment is designed to appease the Americans, especially Trump, at least on a symbolic level.
Trump, above all things, hates to admit he is ever wrong, and he’s unlikely to make an exception this time, leaving Meyer as a credible candidate who nonetheless will have his work cut out trying to the only mind in Washington that matters right now.
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