South Africa’s Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi has withdrawn the country’s Draft National Artificial Intelligence Policy after an internal investigation confirmed that the document contains fictitious sources in its reference list, in what the minister described as an unacceptable failure of integrity.
“Following revelations that the Draft National Artificial Intelligence Policy published for public comment contains various fictitious sources in its reference list, we initiated internal questions, which have now confirmed that this was the case,” Malatsi said. “This failure is not a mere technical issue but has compromised the integrity and credibility of the draft policy.”
The draft policy had been approved by Cabinet on March 25 and published in the Government Gazette on April 10, with a public comment period open until June 10. Its withdrawal removes what had been positioned as a landmark document in South Africa’s efforts to establish a formal national framework for governing artificial intelligence.
Malatsi said the most plausible explanation for the error is that AI-generated citations were included in the document without proper verification — an irony he acknowledged directly. “This unacceptable lapse proves why vigilant human oversight over the use of artificial intelligence is critical. It’s a lesson we take with humility,” he said.
The minister said the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies did not meet the standard expected of an institution entrusted with leading South Africa’s digital policy environment, and confirmed that consequence management would follow for those responsible for drafting and quality assurance. “South Africans deserve better,” he said.
The withdrawal is a significant setback for South Africa’s AI governance timeline. The draft policy had been built around six strategic pillars — including capacity and talent development, responsible governance and human-centered deployment — and proposed a phased three-year implementation plan running through the 2027-2028 financial year. It had also proposed distributing AI oversight among existing regulatory bodies rather than creating a single AI regulator.
Deputy President Paul Mashatile had as recently as earlier this month described the policy as part of a comprehensive government response to the demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, saying it would establish national priorities and sector-specific strategies across manufacturing, energy, infrastructure, transport and trade.
No timeline for a revised draft has been announced.
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