South Africa Must Repair Strained US Relationship, Says Roelf Meyer

‘The relationship is strained’

Meyer said his objective was to ease tensions with the Trump administration rather than add to the dispute. He described the relationship as important not only because of its diplomatic value, but also because of the United States’ economic influence.

“Why is it important that we have good relations with the United States? It’s because it’s the biggest economy on earth, as a starting point.”

Meyer had recently returned from Washington before attending the Cape Town event. He said his more than four decades of association with the US had reinforced his understanding of the importance of maintaining strong relations between the two countries.

“There is at the moment, unfortunately, a tension. The relationship is strained, everybody knows it, and we have to work and find ways to get out of this,” he said.

Visa restrictions and political tensions

Relations between Pretoria and Washington escalated after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced new visa restrictions targeting foreign nationals accused of involvement in race-based discrimination and uncompensated land seizures in South Africa.

US President Donald Trump has also singled out South Africa on several issues since returning to the White House. This has included claims that white Afrikaners are being systematically “killed and slaughtered”, claims described in the source as debunked.

The disputes have added pressure to an already sensitive relationship. Meyer did not assign responsibility for the deterioration, saying that blame would not help resolve the challenges confronting the two countries.

“I’m not going to put blame anywhere; it’s not necessary. I have a job to do, and that is to make sure that we restore the relationship in the best possible way and as quickly as we can.”

Economic cooperation and jobs

For Meyer, the relationship extends beyond political exchanges between governments. He said its condition has direct implications for South Africa’s economic growth, investment prospects and employment opportunities.

More than 600 American companies do business in South Africa, according to Meyer. Their presence represents an important part of the economic connection between the two countries, with investment and job creation among the key issues at stake.

“Our job is to create jobs in South Africa. That is ultimately what it is about.”

Meyer said South Africa needed to improve its relationship with the US at both the political and trade levels. Rebuilding confidence would therefore require attention to the broader diplomatic relationship as well as the practical economic ties connecting businesses and workers in both countries.

“If we have to improve the relationships at the trade level, it’s necessary, but also at the political level. We can’t go on like this.”

He said he was prepared to play whatever role was necessary to support that process, including communicating with both sides.

“Whether there’s persuasion necessary on the US side or on the South African side, I will be the messenger to try and make it happen.”

Lessons from the democratic transition

The discussion at the memoir launch also allowed Meyer to reflect on South Africa’s transition from apartheid to democracy. As a veteran politician and former chief negotiator in the country’s democratic transition, he identified the preservation of the political middle ground as one of the process’s successes.

“One success of the transfer from the old to the new, the transition from apartheid to democracy, is the fact that we succeeded in keeping the middle ground together.”

Meyer said the negotiations reached an important turning point when leaders moved away from concentrating on what they wanted to preserve from the past and began considering what they wanted to build in the future.

“What is it that we want from the future instead of what is it that we want to protect from the past?”

The question remains relevant to his argument about South Africa’s relationship with the US. Repairing strained ties requires attention to present and future interests, including cooperation that can support investment, trade and employment.

Constitutional democracy remains central

Meyer also emphasised the importance of South Africa’s constitutional democracy, describing the Constitution as the country’s ultimate foundation.

“The president is not the most important factor in this country. The Executive isn’t, Parliament isn’t; it’s the constitution. And there’s only one adjudicator, and that is the Constitutional Court.”

He said the supremacy of the Constitution was one of the most significant achievements of South Africa’s democratic transition and remained a cornerstone of the country’s political system.

For Meyer, the principles that helped South Africa move from apartheid to democracy provide a framework for dealing with current disagreements. Rather than allowing political tension to define the relationship with Washington, he said the focus should be on restoring communication and pursuing the interests shared by both countries.

His central message was that South Africa’s relationship with the US is too important to leave unresolved. With political tensions continuing and economic cooperation at stake, Meyer said repairing the relationship should be treated as an urgent responsibility.