South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed Roelf Meyer, a former minister and negotiator from the apartheid government, as the new ambassador to the United States. This move aims to repair strained relations with Washington, which have deteriorated under the Trump administration. Meyer's appointment is seen as a response to US President Donald Trump's accusations that the South African government discriminates against white Afrikaners.

The Trump regime has criticized South Africa's affirmative action policies, offering expedited citizenship to white Afrikaners allegedly "escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination." Additionally, South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and Iran's participation in BRICS wargames off the South African coast have angered Washington. Trump purportedly views the BRICS grouping as an economic threat.

Roelf Meyer, a 78-year-old white Afrikaner, served as the chief negotiator for the white minority government in the 1990s talks that ended apartheid. He later became constitutional development minister under Nelson Mandela and joined the African National Congress in 2006. Ramaphosa described Meyer as "a very loyal and patriotic South African" who can help recalibrate relations with the US.

However, the appointment has faced criticism. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) opposition party called it a "dangerous" attempt to appease Trump's "white supremacist whims." Analyst Thembisa Fakude noted that South Africans are more focused on economic growth and investment than on dispelling Trump's "artificial" accusations. Critics also highlight Meyer's age (78) as limiting opportunities for younger diplomats.

South Africa-US bilateral trade stands at $26 billion, with Washington being Pretoria's second-largest trading partner after China. Meyer leads the global consultancy In Transformation Initiative, engaging in peace initiatives worldwide, including in Northern Ireland, Sri Lanka, and Rwanda.

Source: www.aljazeera.com