Donald Trump reportedly picks handbag designer Lana Marks as ambassador to South Africa
Lana Marks, whose products retail for up to US$400,000, was born in South Africa but has not lived there for more than 40 years
A luxury handbag designer in Palm Beach, Florida, has reportedly been chosen by Donald Trump as the next US ambassador to South Africa.
The appointment of Lana Marks, whose products sell for between US$10,000 and US$400,000, would be likely to cause some surprise: Marks was born in South Africa but has not lived there for more than 40 years.
Relations between South Africa and the US have soured in recent weeks following a tweet by the president inaccurately describing “large-scale killing” of white farmers in the country.
Trump’s statement prompted outrage and a firm rebuttal from the South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa.
But the post of US ambassador to South Africa has been vacant since the former ambassador, Patrick Gaspard, resigned in 2016.
Trump’s choice will still have to be approved by the US Senate.