South Africa’s new ambassador to the United States, Roelf Meyer, says improving relations with Washington will focus on boosting trade, investment and economic growth while addressing issues affecting diplomatic ties.
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South Africa’s newly appointed ambassador to the United States, Roelf Meyer, says his immediate priority is to improve relations between South Africa and the United States by removing obstacles that may hinder trade, investment and broader cooperation between the two countries.
Meyer officially began his duties after presenting his credentials to US President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday, formally replacing former ambassador Ibrahim Rasool.
Speaking during an interview on SABC shortly after the ceremony, Meyer described the reception as warm and cordial and said the presentation of credentials marked the beginning of a new phase in South Africa’s diplomatic engagement with the United States.
"I'm just back from the White House as we speak now. The reception was very well. It was warm. It was, of course, a formal ceremony," Meyer said.
He said he was among 12 ambassadors from different countries who participated in the formal proceedings and personally handed credentials from their respective heads of state to Trump.
"The fact that we officially entered now the phase of representing South Africa in the formal way" was what mattered at this stage, he said.
Meyer said he and his team had been given a mandate by South Africa’s Government of National Unity to represent the country and work towards improving relations.
"We're looking forward as a team to represent South Africa and all the people of South Africa, all the parties in the government of national unity from whom we had the authority and the mandate to come to Washington," he said.
Relations between South Africa and the United States have faced challenges in recent months following claims by Trump that white Afrikaners were being persecuted and subjected to genocide in South Africa - allegations South Africa has repeatedly disputed.
He was also asked how he intended to address US perceptions of alleged persecution of white Afrikaners in South Africa.
Meyer acknowledged that issues relating to Afrikaner refugees formed part of earlier diplomatic discussions, referring to what he described as the “five asks” raised in previous engagements between the United States and South Africa, which include concerns around land policy, farm attacks, political expression and trade-related regulations.
He said these issues would require assessment as part of his initial work in Washington.
He said perceptions often influence international decision-making and would need to be addressed through engagement with US authorities.
“Often policies and positions and decisions are taken on the basis of perceptions. And if there are wrong perceptions, we have to address it,” Meyer said.
He added that it was too early to make definitive comments on the matter before fully assessing current US concerns.
“If it is still a matter for consideration on the side of the authorities in the United States, we have to get a clear picture of what matters in terms of their concerns,” he said.
“I am not going to make comments about the situation or issues that have been raised in the past that might not be that important any longer.”
Meyer said South Africa’s immediate priority remained strengthening economic relations with the United States through trade and investment, which he said were essential for growth and job creation.
“For South Africa, there’s one thing I think that is important, and that is to make sure that we remove the hurdles, the impediments, to ensure that the relationship improves between the United States and South Africa, because in the end, it matters in terms of economic growth and creating jobs,” he said.
He said the embassy would now enter an assessment phase over the coming weeks before reporting back to government on the state of bilateral relations and next steps.
“We are planning to do a lot of preparatory work over the next two or three weeks, whereafter I will report back to our government in terms of the current assessment of the situation and give feedback to our president and members of government,” Meyer said.
Meyer also revealed a brief exchange with Trump during the credential ceremony, saying there was limited time for individual discussions among the 12 ambassadors present.
“He did ask whether I’m playing golf. Which, unfortunately not,” Meyer said.
“But it was a pleasant experience. It was very cordial. It was warm. And I think it established the basis from where we can start to work.”
He added that diplomacy would require engagement beyond politics and trade, including broader relationships at a personal level.
“For us, from the embassy point of view, it will have to be business, politics, and a number of other issues also at the personal relationship level,” he said.
“Maybe we have to emphasise, as we all know, in terms of international relations, it often starts at the personal level.”
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