THE United States has appointed Sue Ford Patrick as its new consul-general in Johannesburg, the US embassy in South Africa announced on Thursday. Patrick, formerly political counsellor at the US embassy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, is a career member of the US foreign service and has served in numerous overseas postings, including Rwanda, Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya and Thailand. In Washington she served as legislative liaison for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, while also serving separately for African Affairs.