In a dramatic twist in South Africa’s fraught relations with the US, President Cyril Ramaphosa is said to be considering a shortlist of four white Afrikaners — one of them Roelf Meyer — as the new ambassador, though he is sticking with MTN chair Mcebisi Jonas as his special envoy.
After the previous ambassador to the US, Ebrahim Rasool, was sent packing last month for making remarks critical of his host, US President Donald Trump, the government appears to be taking no chances with his replacement.
According to impeccable government sources one of those in the running is Meyer, Ramaphosa’s National Party counterpart at the Codesa negotiations in the early 1990s.
Ramaphosa and Meyer played the central roles in steering the talks between the two main players through several crises before achieving the 1994 transition to democracy. They earned the moniker R&R in the media and were said to be close, even going on fishing trips together.
Among the other names are Marthinus van Schalkwyk, nicknamed “Kortbroek” (short pants) by those who regarded him as a political lightweight, who succeeded FW de Klerk as the final leader of the National Party (NP). It later became the New National Party and formed a short-lived alliance with the Democratic Party to form the DA.
Van Schalkwyk subsequently joined the ANC, serving as tourism minister in an ANC cabinet, and later as ambassador to Australia. He is now based in Pretoria.
Other names said to be on the shortlist are longtime ANC member Andries Nel, the deputy justice minister, and the parliamentary counsellor for the president, Gerhardus Koornhof, who is the late NP minister Piet Koornhof’s son.
Ramaphosa is said to remain unwavering in his commitment to have former deputy finance minister Jonas as his envoy to the US, despite mounting pressure from a business lobby to reverse the decision. The lobby is said to be prefer a business leader other than Jonas. His mission as envoy has had a rocky start after it emerged that he made critical remarks about Trump in a speech in 2020.
Jonas won plaudits for having resisted attempts by the Gupta bothers to buy his loyalty during the state capture era.
According to insiders, some within the ANC are pushing for Ramaphosa to also consider former intelligence minister Ayanda Dlodlo, who is now an executive director at the World Bank in Washington. Dlodlo, appointed in March 2022, represents three African seats on the 25-member World Bank board.
Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya declined to comment on the possible shortlist but said internal consultations were under way on a replacement for Rasool.
To have someone like comrade Andries [Nel], for instance, as the ambassador nullifies the idea that the minority is under threat
— ANC insider
According to the high-level insiders, Ramaphosa and the minister of international relations & co-operation, Ronald Lamola, want leading Afrikaners within the ANC and government to engage the Trump administration.
Trump has accused the South African government of persecuting white Afrikaners and has invited them to move to the US as refugees.
“To have someone like comrade Andries, for instance, as the ambassador nullifies the idea that the minority is under threat,” one insider said. “If we have white Afrikaner representatives who are well versed in government policy and who understand the ANC, it challenges the narrative that there is this genocide. These comrades will be able to forge this pathway for government and the president to begin engagements.”
Nel is considered to be the front-runner among the four, the insiders said.
Nel, who worked as a human rights lawyer during apartheid, has served in various government portfolios. He was previously deputy minister of co-operative governance & traditional affairs. When the now disgraced Ace Magashule was secretary-general of the ANC, Nel held the post of co-ordinator in his office. However, one insider said his biggest selling point is his time as part of the task team that crafted the ANC’s response to the Zondo commission on state capture.
The insiders said in Washington Nel would be well qualified to address the relationship of the ANC and the government with China and Russia, and explain the position of the ANC on state capture — another issue the Trump administration has raised.
Asked about the shortlist, Nel said: “Regrettably, apart from confirming that I follow matters that are reported in local and international media, I am not in a position to be of much assistance with your question.”
Second on the list is said to be Van Schalkwyk, who has also served as ambassador to Greece.
Koornhof’s position in the ANC’s national executive committee is understood to count in his favour.
An ANC leader supportive of Dlodlo said picking her made sense because she had already established herself in the US. “Unlike the other comrades on the list, she is already there. She will not be starting from scratch,” this source said.
“She is one of the most articulate ministers we have had, she can communicate clearly our message to the US, and given her already defined interaction with the stakeholders in Washington and New York, she understands what to say and what not to say.”
US congressman Ronny Jackson has introduced a bill seeking a full review of US-South African relations and possibly imposing sanctions. Jackson’s bill accuses South Africa of aligning with China, Russia, Iran and “terrorist organisations” such as Hamas.
Sources said the South African business elite were putting the screws on the president to replace Jonas with their preferred candidate, though it is not clear who this is
“The South African government and the ANC have continued to consistently undermine US national security interests and in recent years have ... pursued an anti-Israel agenda,” it says.
Sources in the government said Jonas would seek to establish a wider network of people in the US who are favourably disposed towards South Africa. They said the aim was for Jonas to open up lines of communication with the Trump administration and to ease tensions between the two countries.
Resurfaced clips of Jonas accusing Trump of being a racist homophobe in the speech five years ago have caused many to question the wisdom of choosing him as envoy. But Dirco spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said Trump, in appointing members of his administration, had demonstrated a willingness to overlook their past criticism of himself.
“His demonstrated ability to bridge divides with former critics speaks for itself, and our focus should remain on nurturing sustained, constructive dialogue in the interests of both our nations,” Phiri said.
He said someone in Jonas’s role would act as the personal representative of Ramaphosa and Lamola.
“They operate outside the typical reach of an ambassador to address complex, bilateral or multilateral issues. Unlike the permanent diplomatic mission, the special envoy’s task is generally limited in both time and focus, and it may take him anywhere. The special envoy is usually a professional diplomat or politician but may be a private individual such as a businessman, church leader,” Phiri said.
Sources said the South African business elite were putting the screws on the president to replace Jonas with their preferred candidate, though it is not clear who this is.
One insider said it was understood that the business leaders had set up an office in the US in expectation that Ramaphosa would pick their candidate. The source said this had irritated Ramaphosa, who felt the business lobby was “overstepping and seeking to undermine his authority”.
Magwenya, however, denied Ramaphosa was under pressure to reverse his decision on Jonas. “As a former deputy minister of finance and business leader, Mr Jonas has the prerequisite experience to undertake the task. He understands geopolitical and global trade issues very well,” he said.
In a statement on Friday, issued in relation to a report about Jonas on the US news site Semafor, Phiri said: “The government neither recognises, endorses nor condones any unauthorised individuals or entities claiming to represent South Africa’s interests in formal or informal dialogues.
“Such actions undermine the integrity of state-to-state relations. Stakeholders are urged to verify credentials directly through Dirco’s official channels to avoid the spread of misinformation.”
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