The cabinet approved her appointment on September 15.
Shope-Mafole is currently the chairperson of the Presidential National Commission on Information Society and Development, established by President Thabo Mbeki in February, 2001.
Introducing the new director-general to the media, Minister Matsepe-Casaburri said the integrity of the new DG was unquestionable.
"We have always wanted a person of her calibre to give strategic direction to the department and spearhead the department's activities," said Matsepe-Casaburri.
"Currently, South Africa is playing a leading role in the development of information and communication technology (ICT) with other international countries throughout the world," she explained.
The new DG replaces Andile Nqcaba who resigned late last year to join the private sector.
Shope-Mafole obtained an MSc in Telecommunications Engineering from the Jose Antonio Echeverria higher Institute of Technology (JSPJAE) in Havana, Cuba, in 1983.
Among other things, she served as an advisor to the former Communications Minister Jay Naidoo.
She is also a member of the United Nations ICT Task Force whose task is to advise Secretary-General Kofi Annan, on matters relating to bridging the digital divide. - BuaNews.
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