South Africa is aiming to publish a revised national artificial intelligence policy by January 2027, according to an announcement on May 26, 2026. This follows the withdrawal of an earlier draft released in April 2026, which was retracted after being found to contain fictitious and potentially AI-generated citations. Communications Minister Solly Malatsi briefed a parliamentary committee on the issue, describing the inclusion of fake references as a 'massive oversight' and confirming that internal quality control measures failed to identify the errors before they were exposed by the news publication News24.

To address the fallout, the government has established an independent seven-member panel of experts tasked with reviewing the document, replacing flawed citations, and recommending necessary revisions. This revised policy draft is expected to be submitted to the Cabinet for approval by November 2026. Acting deputy director-general Jeanette Morwane stated that the government remains committed to its goal of positioning South Africa as a leader in AI innovation while managing associated ethical and economic concerns.

The incident has led to internal personnel actions, with two government officials placed on precautionary suspension while an investigation is conducted. Nonkqubela Jordan-Dyani, the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies' Director-General, labeled the situation 'highly regrettable' and emphasized that withdrawing the document was essential to restore public credibility. The original draft was intended to serve as a starting point for public input, though the discovery of generated inaccuracies stalled the consultation process.

South Africa is aiming to publish a revised national artificial intelligence policy by January 2027, according to an announcement on May 26, 2026. This follows the withdrawal of an earlier draft released in April 2026, which was retracted after being found to contain fictitious and potentially AI-generated citations. Communications Minister Solly Malatsi briefed a parliamentary committee on the issue, describing the inclusion of fake references as a 'massive oversight' and confirming that internal quality control measures failed to identify the errors before they were exposed by the news publication News24.

To address the fallout, the government has established an independent seven-member panel of experts tasked with reviewing the document, replacing flawed citations, and recommending necessary revisions. This revised policy draft is expected to be submitted to the Cabinet for approval by November 2026. Acting deputy director-general Jeanette Morwane stated that the government remains committed to its goal of positioning South Africa as a leader in AI innovation while managing associated ethical and economic concerns.

The incident has led to internal personnel actions, with two government officials placed on precautionary suspension while an investigation is conducted. Nonkqubela Jordan-Dyani, the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies' Director-General, labeled the situation 'highly regrettable' and emphasized that withdrawing the document was essential to restore public credibility. The original draft was intended to serve as a starting point for public input, though the discovery of generated inaccuracies stalled the consultation process.