South Africa’s ambassador to the United States, Roelf Meyer, said on Monday that despite “strained” relations with Washington, he remained positive.

The veteran politician said he hoped to establish “direct dialogue” to break the stalemate in tense diplomatic ties.

“In some ways, we don’t have the opportunity to actually enter dialogue. My view is that it can be addressed if there is direct dialogue between the US and the South African authorities,” he said.

“We hope we can establish that, you know, like we have experienced in our own case, if you start by talks and it can evolve into dialogue and eventually negotiations,” he said.

Meyer was chief negotiator for South Africa’s white government in talks that would lead to the end of apartheid.

He was named as ambassador to Washington in April, nearly a year after the previous envoy was expelled as relations with the US deteriorated.

In mid-September, Washington announced restrictions on visas for South Africans who promote “race-based discrimination, incite violence, or enable land confiscation without compensation”.

But speaking on the sidelines of an event in Cape Town to launch his political memoir, Meyer said it “matters that we keep good relations” with the US.

“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

The standoff resulted in Washington refusing to accredit Pretoria for G20 meetings in the United States, including the December summit.

South Africa is also bracing itself for its potential exclusion from AGOA, Washington’s duty-free trade programme for Africa, which has been extended to December 2028 and is reviewed annually.