Credit:  lanamarks.com /  Lana Marks, a luxury handbag designer, is the Trump administration’s new U.S. Ambassador to South Africa.

By Gary Raynaldo    /   DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

Lana Marks, a luxury handbag designer and member of President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, is the new United States Ambassador to the Republic of South Africa.  Marks stated that her top priority as U.S. ambassador will be the “safety and security of all Americans in South Africa.”  The U.S. Senate last month confirmed Trump’s nominee to be the next Ambassador to South Africa. Marks, 65,  was born in South Africa, and  is CEO of a fashion brand that counts royalty and Hollywood stars among clients willing to pay thousands of dollars for her handbags. She was also a friend of the late Princess Diana, after whom she named a design collection. She now resides in Palm Beach, FL.  The U.S. ambassador to South Africa posting has been vacant since Patrick Gaspard left in December 2016, with its mission being overseen by a chargé d’affaires.

There Has Been  No  U.S. Ambassador in South Africa  Nearly Three Years

“Nigeria and South Africa have been the two African countries of greatest strategic importance to the United States. They are the two largest economies on the continent, and a major venue for U.S. investment,” writes John Campbell in a blog in Council on Foreign Relations.

 “South Africa will occupy one of the non-permanent seats on the UN Security Council this coming January. It can be anticipated that South Africa will be more active diplomatically than in the  immediate past. Under those circumstances, having a U.S. ambassador in Pretoria would appear to be a matter of urgency.”

Credit: twitter.comlanamarks /  Lana Marks, a luxury handbag designer is Trump’s new U.S. Ambassador to South Africa.

“South Africa has joined the ranks of the G-20 group of the world’s most important economies, and it currently sits on the United Nations Security Council as an elected member. It has not only become an engine of economic growth for Africa and beyond, but also leads by example in the region, including by contributing over 1,000 troops to peacekeeping operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. If confirmed, I will work to encourage the government of South Africa to continue its leadership in the region, including by promoting respect for human rights and good governance.”

-Lana Marks, Nominee to be U.S. Ambassador to South Africa  Statement before Senate Foreign Relations Committee July 17, 2018.

The issues of women’s and youth empowerment/economic opportunities are ones that I hold dear. The future of S Africa can be seen in the faces of its young citizens — I will work to ensure that the prospects every person deserves should not be out of reach for any S African.

— Lana J Marks (@LanaMarks) October 16, 2019

“Our new Ambassador to South Africa, Lana Marks, will be a terrific U.S. diplomat. Good that the Senate confirmed her in a bipartisan vote—we look forward to her contribution to a new era of economic and strategic partnership between our two countries.”

-U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo  via Twitter.