{"id":857266,"date":"2026-04-15T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=857266"},"modified":"2026-04-15T14:22:45","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T12:22:45","slug":"businesses-in-south-africa-welcome-ramaphosas-pick-for-united-states-ambassador","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/business-opinion\/857266\/businesses-in-south-africa-welcome-ramaphosas-pick-for-united-states-ambassador\/","title":{"rendered":"Businesses in South Africa welcome Ramaphosa’s pick for United States Ambassador"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Businesses in South Africa have welcomed the appointment of Roelf Meyer as the country\u2019s next ambassador to the US. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed his ally to the next ambassador to the US following the expulsion of Ebrahim Rasool as ambassador last year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ramaphosa worked closely with Meyer, a former member of the National Party, during negotiations leading up to South Africa’s 1994 democratic elections. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His appointment comes at a tense time between South Africa and the US, with the latest blow being that Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana did not receive accreditation for the G20 in Miami this year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA), a business lobby group that represents Amazon, Capitec, Woolworths, Naspers, Standard Bank, Discovery, Vodacom and many more, welcomed the appointment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

BLSA said that Meyer’s commitment to dialogue, reconciliation, and nation-building helped lay the foundation for South Africa’s democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It added that Meyer has demonstrated the maturity and political acumen needed to enhance and strengthen ties between South Africa and the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Meyer is the right adult to place in the room to ensure we arrest any potential erosion in the relationship between Washington and Pretoria,\u201d said BLSA CEO Busisiwe Mavuso.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mavuso noted that the US is a key trading partner for South Africa. In addition to being a major export market, it is a source of foreign investment and a provider of employment opportunities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are roughly 600 American companies operating in South Africa, many of which use South Africa as a base for broader regional operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BLSA said that South Africa\u2019s foreign policy must be evaluated through the lens of the country\u2019s long-term economic and developmental interests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBLSA and its members stand ready to support Mr Meyer in his efforts to strengthen relations with the United States,” said Mavuso. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We look forward to a new era of collaboration and exploring new opportunities arising from this appointment.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long overdue appointment <\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/a>
Cyril Ramaphosa and Roelf Meyer in the 1990s (Source: Nelson Mandela University)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Government of National Unity member, RISE Mzansi, welcomed the appointment of Meyer, which it said was long overdue, especially with Ramaphosa\u2019s receipt of the US Ambassador Brent Bozell’s credentials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RISE Mzansi also noted that Meyer\u2019s primary mandate must be economic diplomacy, with the stakes for South African workers and businesses having never been higher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Recent diplomatic efforts aim to double this presence to 1,000 companies, which could potentially create another 250,000 jobs in sectors such as technology, finance, and manufacturing,” it said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“To achieve this, Meyer must skilfully navigate complex tensions, including US\u2013South Africa trade debates and shifting global alliances, to ensure that South Africa remains a sought-after global partner.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While managing this economic goal, the party said that Meyer must also uphold the moral example of our Constitution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although Meyer has extensive experience, RISE Mzansi said Meyer’s performance will be measured against the standards of professionalism and tangible advancement of the local economy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We call on him to prioritise the creation of sustainable business opportunities for all South Africans as he represents our nation in Washington,” it said. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s friend Roelf Meyer has been named as the top South African official in the USA. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":95,"featured_media":857270,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[15351],"class_list":["post-857266","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-opinion","tag-blsa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857266","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/95"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=857266"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857266\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":857272,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/857266\/revisions\/857272"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/857270"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=857266"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=857266"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=857266"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}