A revised draft of South Africa’s national policy on AI will only be released for public comment in January 2027, nine months after the original was withdrawn for containing fictitious and potentially AI-generated references, the department of communications & digital technologies told a parliamentary committee on Tuesday.
Communications minister Solly Malatsi has established a seven-member independent panel of experts to review the original draft, recommend revisions or removals, and replace flawed citations. A revised version is expected to go to cabinet by November 2026 for approval before public release, said acting deputy director-general Jeanette Morwane.
The policy, originally released in April for public comment, sought to position South Africa as a continental leader in AI innovation while addressing ethical and economic concerns.
Read: Malatsi moves to rescue South Africa’s botched AI policy
Malatsi told MPs that internal checks had not flagged the issues before they were exposed by a report on News24. He said the draft had been meant to be a starting point to invite public input and that much of the policy’s content had not faced significant challenge — but he acknowledged a “massive oversight” and a lack of disclosure around AI use in compiling the references.
Read: South Africa is sleepwalking into another AI policy failure
Two officials have been placed on precautionary suspension pending an investigation. Director-general Nonkqubela Jordan-Dyani said the incident was “highly regrettable” and that withdrawal was necessary to restore credibility. — (c) 2026 Reuters