Mbeki appoints Makeba envoy

Cape Town - The South African President, Mr Thabo Mbeki, appointed singer Miriam Makeba as goodwill ambassador to Africa yesterday…

Cape Town - The South African President, Mr Thabo Mbeki, appointed singer Miriam Makeba as goodwill ambassador to Africa yesterday.

Makeba (58) shot to worldwide fame in 1965 with The Click Song. She spent 31 years in exile for her opposition to the apartheid regime - people who played her music in South Africa were imprisoned - but brought African music to the world. Mr Mbeki, speaking in parliament, described "Mama Africa" as "a citizen of the world".