Johannesburg - US President Donald Trump
intends to nominate luxury handbag designer Lana Marks as the
new ambassador to South Africa, the White House said, almost two
years after the last ambassador left under Barack Obama.
The nomination comes at a time of frayed relations between
the two countries after a tweet in August in which Trump asked
his secretary of state to study South African "land and farm
seizures".
South Africa accused Trump of stoking racial divisions with
the comments, which it called "misinformed".
African politicians also labelled Trump a racist in January
after he was reported to have described some immigrants from
Africa and Haiti as coming from "shithole" countries.
"President Donald J. Trump announced his intent to nominate
... Lana J. Marks of Florida, to be Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to South
Africa," the White House said in a statement on Wednesday.
The United States has not had an ambassador in South Africa
since Patrick Gaspard vacated his post in December 2016, with
its mission being overseen by a chargé d'affaires.
Incoming Ambassador Marks was born in South Africa and
attended Johannesburg's University of the Witwatersrand. She
speaks Afrikaans and Xhosa, the White House said. She is now
based in Florida.
CNN reported on Thursday that Marks, is a member of Trump's exclusive Mar-a-Lago resort, according to a source familiar with the club.
Marks says on her Twitter page that she has "a background in SA political, economic, social and media landscape".
Lived in S Africa a third of my life; studied at Wits Univ; spoke fluent Xhosa; passed the Hoërtaalbond Eksamen in Afrikaans; background in SA political, economic, social & media landscape; businesswoman for 30 years; mom for 37 years; wife for 42 years; ninja, forever!!
— LANA MARKS (@LanaMarks) October 21, 2018
Another tweet says she has served on Harvard's Kennedy School of Government Women's Leadership Board, and has represented her country in Helsinki, at the Women's Business Leadership Initiative.
As a businesswoman, Lana Marks believes in the important role of women in the workplace.
She has served on Harvard's Kennedy School of Government Women's Leadership Board, and has represented her country in Helsinki, at the Women's Business Leadership Initiative.
— LANA MARKS (@LanaMarks) October 21, 2018
The website for her premium handbag firm, Lana Marks, offers
handbags selling for as much as $20 000 and says they have
become favourites for celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, Kate
Winslet and Madonna.
Her biography did not mention any previous diplomatic
postings.