US ambassador to SA Leo Bozell on Monday said the government would do well to appoint former president Thabo Mbeki as a special diplomatic envoy to break the growing bilateral impasse between the two countries.
The proposal comes amid escalating friction over trade access, geopolitical alignments, domestic reform expectations and recently imposed visa restrictions on South Africans.
Speaking in a wide-ranging interview, Bozell praised Mbeki’s stature as a veteran statesman and master negotiator, arguing that high-level intervention is urgently needed to navigate complex negotiations directly with Washington.
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