President Cyril Ramaphosa says he is “more than hopeful” that his pick of South African ambassador to the US, former apartheid-era minister Roelf Meyer, will be accepted by President Donald Trump’s administration.
He said just as he had accepted the letter of credence of the US ambassador to South Africa, Leo Bozell, he believes Trump will return the favour.
“Of course he still has to present his credentials to the government of the United States and the president, and I am more than hopeful that just as we have received and accepted the credentials of ambassador Bozell, he will also be accredited equally in that manner,” said Ramaphosa.
Ramaphosa opted for an Afrikaner in the hope that he would be able to dispel the falsehoods perpetrated that there is a white genocide in South Africa.
The Sunday Times reported in April last year that Ramaphosa had been considering four white Afrikaners, including Meyer, for the role of ambassador to the US as tensions between Pretoria and Washington reached boiling point after Ebrahim Rasool was expelled and Mcebisi Jonas was rejected as his possible successor.
Ramaphosa on Wednesday said Meyer was the best man for the job.
“Roelf Meyer is a South African, a very loyal and patriotic South African, who has distinguished himself in a number of areas where he has worked,” said Ramaphosa.
“And yes, he did lead the National Party negotiation team together with myself, he was a cabinet minister in the initial government of national unity and he has done very well in those areas.”
Ramaphosa said he was confident in Meyer’s abilities in the diplomatic space, having led diplomatic missions in conflict-ridden areas.
“Recently he’s been involved in mediation processes in a number of countries, and that in many ways has sharpened his diplomatic skills, where he has been able to get involved in conflict situations, trying to bring peace among the differing or warring parties at a very quiet level, while continuing to assist our government in its diplomatic efforts,” said Ramaphosa.
According to Ramaphosa, these skills made him the obvious choice when he was considering this deployment.
“And when we needed to appoint an ambassador in the US, I found him to be more than qualified to be able to work [there], recalibrate our relationship and interface with a number of stakeholders in the United States,” he said.
“As it is now, he’s been interfacing with a number of people [there], both on Capitol Hill and in the various departments. So already a lot of interactions have taken place.
“For me, he is more than well qualified to execute this task.”
The 78-year-old will have a daunting task repairing the relationship between Pretoria and Washington, which has been fraught since Trump took over as president last year.
“He will represent South Africa very well. He has always flown the South African flag and he will do so like all our ambassadors all over the world. And all we should do is wish him well and give him all the support he needs,” said Ramaphosa.
“The US is the largest economy in the world and it still plays an important role in our economic fortunes. But more that, at the diplomatic level there’s quite a lot of work that needs to be done to recalibrate and in some ways repair the relationship with the US in a very respectful manner, a manner that will take our interests forward.”
TimesLIVE
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