ANC divided over Afrikaner ambassador plan for US

ANC debates the implications of appointing a former National Party government member as South Africa's ambassador to the US

- MASHUDU SADIKE

THE ANC faces internal divisions as President Cyril Ramaphosa contemplates appointing a white Afrikaner as the new South African Ambassador to the US.

According to highly placed sources within the party, the move is seen as an attempt to mend ties with US President Donald Trump, who has been critical of South Africa's alleged treatment of white farmers.

The names being touted for the ambassador position include former Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Roelf Meyer and former National Party (NP) leader Marthinus Van Schalkwyk.

Meyer, who played a key role in the Codesa negotiations in the early 1990s, is said to have a close relationship with Ramaphosa, while Van Schalkwyk facilitated the merger of the then NP into the ANC and later became the Minister of Tourism. He resigned from parliament in 2014.

The source said even though the matter had not been widely discussed by the ANC's National Executive Committee (NEC), it was discussed in the corridors of power, with some saying that appointing an Afrikaner would be conceding to the claims that Afrikaners are being discriminated against in the country.