SA-born handbag designer Lana Marks is the new US ambassador to South Africa

President Donald Trump has nominated a South Florida-based luxury fashion and handbag designer to be the new US ambassador to South Africa.

The White House announced the nomination of native South African Lana Marks late on Wednesday.

Marks was born and raised in South Africa and is now the CEO of the Lana Marks Collections design firm which caters to celebrities. She speaks Xhosa and Afrikaans and lives in Palm Beach, Florida.

There has been no US ambassador to South Africa since Trump's election.

The extended vacancy had led to criticism that the Trump administration was less committed to the US-South Africa relationship than previous ones.

Ambassadorial candidates from the private sector are not uncommon for the US government and account for about 30% of envoys across administrations.