PALESA MORUDU: Nomaindia Mfeketo faces undiplomatic manoeuvres in the US
Our new ambassador to Washington will have to convince a sceptical Trump administration that SA is no China
SA’s new ambassador to the US, former Cape Town mayor Nomaindia Mfeketo, lands in Washington DC next month. She arrives in a country engaged in a raucous conversation about its future. On November 3 Americans will cast their votes for the next president. Will they decide to keep Donald Trump in office, opt for a middle-of-the-road Democrat or embark on a “political revolution”?
Mfeketo’s immediate task will be to convince the US government that SA is a “developing nation” and should continue to get special trade access to the US market. The Trump administration has removed SA — along with countries such as China — from a list of those considered “developing” and “least developed”. Trump believes some countries are gaming the international trade system by pretending to be poor. Mfeketo needs to make the case that SA is not China by any measure. ..
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