<p>The Diplomatic Diary of the Washington International Diplomatic Academy, which provides professional training, said that Marks pressed another Trump appointee to approve renovations, new furniture and other spending worth around $1 million.</p><p>"It was extremely poor use of taxpayer money, and a very poignant example of excess," an anonymous diplomat was quoted as saying.</p><p>To make way for the ambassador's wishes, the US consul general and her family were asked to vacate the residence early, it said.</p><p>Marks, who was barely in the job for a year, never occupied the Cape Town home. </p><p>She fell ill with Covid-19 late last year and, in an unusual move, has been allowed to remain in the Pretoria residence as she recovers even though her tenure ended with President Joe Biden's inauguration.</p><p>The State Department declined immediate comment on the report and it was not possible to reach Marks.</p><p>South Africa's parliament meets in Cape Town and foreign ambassadors historically spent time there. </p><p>But in a 2011 report, the State Department's Inspector General found the ambassador's residence "underutilized and expensive to maintain" and it was converted into the consul general's home.</p><p>In a statement in November, the US embassy said that the residence, known as Kearsney House, would "return to active use as a chief of mission residence" and highlighted its role in history, including anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela's discussions there with US officials in 1993.</p>
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