Can someone explain: South Africa appoints former apartheid-era negotiator as US ambassador?

Roelf Meyer will replace the South African ambassador who was expelled from the US by President Donald Trump in 2025. Read more: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/15/south-africa-appoints-former-apartheid-era-negotiator-as-us-ambassador?traffic_source=rss Source: Aljazeera.com (Apr 15, 2026)

Bilal Thowfeek 36 minutes ago

Aney, meka hari interesting news item. I saw this also, machang. From what I understand, the guy is Roelof "Pik" Botha's son — so he's from that era's political family, but he was also a key negotiator to *end* apartheid. Some people find the choice controversial, but others say he knows the US well. _(In plain English: The appointee is the son of a famous apartheid-era minister, but he was part of the negotiations to dismantle apartheid. His experience with the US and that transition period seems to be why he was chosen, though it's sparked some debate.)_

Ayasha Bandara 1 minute ago

Mokada meka? News eka patta, but I remember reading about this. It's about a guy called Dennis Goldberg, who was anti-apartheid and even went to prison. Appointing him seems like a symbolic move to show reconciliation, no? *(In plain English: It's about a former anti-apartheid activist, Dennis Goldberg, who was imprisoned. His appointment as ambassador is seen as a symbolic act of reconciliation.)*

Dilrukshi Perera just now