Solly Malatsi, Minister of the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies

Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi has withdrawn South Africa’s draft national artificial intelligence (AI) policy after it emerged that the document’s reference list included fictitious sources.

In a statement on Sunday, Malatsi said an internal review confirmed the mistake was noticed after “revelations” emerged about unverifiable references.

“This failure is not a mere technical issue but has compromised the integrity and credibility of the draft policy,” he said. “As such, I am withdrawing the Draft National Artificial Intelligence Policy.”

Cabinet approved the draft on 25 March, with a further special sitting on 1 April, before it was released for public comment. The public was invited to make submissions until 10 June.

The policy aimed to extend South Africa’s AI framework, with a focus on ensuring AI governance, innovation and widespread benefit.

The department’s acting director-general, Omega Shelembe, said in the foreword of the draft that the rapid evolution of AI technology presented unprecedented opportunities and unique challenges and that the policy reflected the country’s commitment to harnessing AI’s transformative power.

“A key enhancement to this policy is the deeper focus on the ethical governance of AI systems. Important provisions address fairness, bias mitigation and data sovereignty, recognising South Africa’s socio-political landscape and the imperative to redress historical inequalities,” he said.

Malatsi said the withdrawal reflected a broader failure in the department.

“The department of communications and digital technologies did not deliver on the standard expected of an institution entrusted with leading South Africa’s digital policy environment.”

He said the most plausible explanation was that AI-generated sources had been included without proper verification.

“This should not have happened. This unacceptable lapse underscores why vigilant human oversight over the use of artificial intelligence is critical.”

Malatsi said the department would take the matter seriously and implement consequence management for those responsible for drafting and quality assurance.