Pretoria: Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi has announced the withdrawal of the Draft National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy following an internal process. The decision comes after it was discovered that the draft policy contained fictitious sources in its reference list, compromising its integrity and credibility.
According to South African Government News Agency, Minister Malatsi stated that the draft AI policy, which had been approved by the Cabinet on 25 March 2026 and released for public comment on 10 April 2026, was found to have significant issues that needed addressing. The public was initially given until 10 June 2026 to provide feedback on the policy, which aimed to extend the initial AI framework by embedding principles of intergenerational equity to ensure AI-driven innovation benefits both current and future generations.
During a recent event in Mpumalanga, Deputy President Paul Mashatile highlighted the government's efforts to develop a comprehensive AI policy that would establish national priorities and strategies for various sectors including manufacturing, energy, infrastructure, and trade. However, the withdrawal of the draft policy underscores the need for vigilant human oversight in the use of AI.
Minister Malatsi emphasized the importance of maintaining high standards in digital policy development and acknowledged the failure in proper verification of AI-generated citations. He assured the public that the issue is being taken seriously, and there will be consequences for those responsible for the oversight. The Minister stressed the significance of this incident as a lesson in the necessity of human oversight in AI applications.