Communications Minister Dr Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri died of natural causes on Monday night.

Minister in the Presidency, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, has been appointed acting Minister of Communication.

“Matsepe-Casaburri was instrumental in the transformation of the South African communications industry at large. She took the position of the Minister of Communications in 1999 and it was during her tenure that South Africa saw a number of remarkable developments including the licensing of the third mobile network operator, Cell C and the second network operator, Neotel,” said the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa.

President Kgalema Motlanthe said Matsepe-Casaburri was “an outstanding leader”.

“In her various leadership capacities and responsibilities, she has served the country with distinction, honour and selflessness. With her incisive intellect she has made an invaluable contribution to the development of policy in various fields including Information and Communication Technology,” Motlanthe, paying tribute to Matsepe-Casaburri.

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