Zenani Mandela-Dlamini South Africa’s new ambassador to Argentina
A file photo taken on May 10, 1994 shows Nelson Mandela (L) waving at the crowd during his inauguration as president at the Union Building in Pretoria next to his eldest daughter, Zenani Mandela-Dlamini. She has now been named South African ambassador to Argentina.
Nelson Mandela's daughter Zenani is South Africa's new ambassador to Argentina, officials say.
A businesswoman and graduate of Boston University, Zenani Mandela-Dlamini, 53, is the first of Mandela's three remaining children to decide to have a public life, reported the Associated Press. Argentina's government said it accepted her appointment on Monday and that it represented "the importance of Argentina for the South African government."
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"The Argentine government has given diplomatic credentials to Zenani Mandela-Dlamini, as new ambassador of the Republic of South Africa to Argentina," said a ministry statement, according to the Buenos Aires Herald. The statement also said bilateral trade has reached $1.3 billion a year, "demonstrating the high potential for both economies."
Mandela-Dlamini replaces former Democratic Alliance leader Tony Leon, who is said to have asked to return to South Africa ahead of his scheduled end of term in 2013, reported Agence France-Presse.
She was a toddler when her father was imprisoned in South Africa, according to the AP, and was not allowed to visit him in jail until she was 16 years old. Mandela-Dlamini married Swazi Prince Thumbumuzi Dlamini in 1973 when Mandela was still in prison. She and the prince have two sons and lived in Boston until they divorced.