Ms Mapula Tshangela is currently the Director Climate Change Mitigation Sector Plan Implementation with the South African National Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA). Her areas of responsibility include management of private sector GHG mitigation plans regulations, support to Provinces and Local Government on their mitigation plans implementation and support to broader education sector initiatives on climate change mitigation capacity building and training.

Ms Tshangela was previously the Senior Policy Advisor: National Sustainable Development and was part of the team that managed several initiatives including national strategy for sustainable development, national green economy summit and subsequent conceptualization of the national green fund, South Africa green economy modelling report, the environment sector research, development and evidence (R,D&E) framework and reports on use of evidence in a government department. Ms Tshangela was also the Director: Cabinet & Cluster Policy Coordination and Deputy Director: Pollution and Waste Information in DEA between 2011-2007 and was seconded in 2017/18 as Acting Chief Director: Environmental Management at KZN EDTEA.

Prior to joining the DEA in 2007, Ms Tshangela worked at the Eskom generation (Kendal and Lethabo), distribution Bloemfontein and MWP positions between 1997 and 2007 in areas including impact assessment, environmental sustainability performance reporting, environmental, waste, air quality and pollution management, water cycle chemistry, laboratory chemical analysis and quality control systems.

Ms Tshangela research interests include sustainability transitions, green economy, public policy management, technology and innovation.