EFF Rejects Roelf Meyer’s Appointment As South Africa’s US Ambassador, Calls It Deeply Offensive
- The Economic Freedom Fighters released a statement regarding Roelf Meyer's appointment as South Africa's Ambassador to the United States
- Meyer, a former member of the National Party and friend of Cyril Ramaphosa, will fill the void left by Ebrahim Rasool's expulsion in 2025
- ActionSA's Herman Mashaba also condemned President Ramaphosa's decision to name Meyer as the country's new ambassador
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Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.
GAUTENG – The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have rejected Roelf Meyer's appointment as South Africa's Ambassador to the United States of America.
Meyer, a former member of the National Party and friend of Cyril Ramaphosa, was appointed as the new ambassador by the President. The country has not had an ambassador since Ebrahim Rasool was expelled and declared persona non grata by the Donald Trump administration in March 2025.
He was removed following the remarks he made about the US leadership and domestic politics, and has defended the comments.
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EFF rejects Meyer’s appointment
Following the news of Meyer’s appointment, the EFF released a statement saying that his appointment was not only politically tone-deaf but also a deliberate insult to the democratic struggle.
The EFF also noted that Meyer's history showed that he was a central figure within the Apartheid state, holding several key positions within the government, including Deputy Minister of Law and Order and later Minister of Defence.
“The Department of Law and Order was directly responsible for the police machinery that enforced apartheid laws, crushed political opposition, and maintained a regime built on fear and violence,” the EFF’s statement read.
The party added that Meyer’s involvement in the transition process in the 1990's could not be used to sanitise or erase his earlier role. Meyer, who represented the National Party, and Cyril Ramaphosa, for the African National Congress (ANC), led their respective teams in talks to end Apartheid in 1993.
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EFF considers the appointment deeply offensive
The party noted that revolutionaries such as Chris Hani warned against members of the Apartheid regime who suddenly rebranded themselves as democrats.
“It is therefore deeply offensive that the appointment of Roelf Meyer comes in the same period in which South Africa commemorates the assassination of Chris Hani. The EFF refuses to accept a situation where, in the shadow of Hani's martyrdom, the democratic state elevates former apartheid functionaries into positions of international representation,” the party stated.
The EFF has thus called for the immediate withdrawal of the appointment, urging the president to select a representative who embodies the true revolutionary values of the country.
Herman Mashaba criticises the decision
It was not just the EFF that criticised the decision, as ActionSA’s Herman Mashaba did as well. The ActionSA leader took to X (formerly Twitter) to accuse the president of handing the country back to the National Party.
AfriForum slams appointment of Meyer
Briefly News reported that Kallie Kriel rejected the appointment of Meyer as the Ambassador to the United States.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Afriforum accused Meyer of being a flip-flopper, sparking laughter online.
Kriel said that the last thing a country needs is another African National Congress (ANC) member to be deployed.
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Source: Briefly News
