I don't think it's possible. I used miles to take two of us to JNB and CPT this year and did it from IAD through FRA -- but in Coach class! (I'd love to have gone C or F, but that's SO MANY miles for just one trip). So I, too, would've loved to find a more direct, quicker route. The long connection time to me is mostly an annoyance if I were to go back to South Africa and it would be especially bothersome if I had to go for business. I guess there won't be a way around it until somebody starts daytime flights into FRA from the US East Coast.

Also, I can stand traveling UA in coach on intl flights if I can reserve my exit row beforehand, but when on LH, this has proved difficult to impossible.