South Africa's Draft National Artificial Intelligence Policy was published in the Government Gazette on 10 April 2026 and withdrawn in full on 12 June 2026. The Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies stated that the draft "is withdrawn in its entirety effective from the date of publication".
What was found
At least six of the document's 67 academic references were fictitious. Editors at the South African Journal of Philosophy, AI & Society and the Journal of Ethics and Social Philosophy confirmed that articles attributed to their publications had never appeared in them. The pattern is consistent with unverified generative-AI output.
Where it stands
- Two officials are on precautionary suspension; an internal investigation is ongoing.
- The department has adopted an internal framework governing its own use of AI.
- Revised policy documents are targeted for Cabinet submission in November 2026, with a public comment period in January 2027.
What it means for organisations here
South Africa remains without a national AI policy, and the timeline now runs into 2027. That does not mean an absence of applicable law. POPIA continues to apply to automated decision-making, and organisations serving EU users remain in scope of the AI Act regardless of what happens domestically.
The practical risk of a policy vacuum is not that nothing is required. It is that organisations defer governance work until a local instrument names it, and then have to produce years of evidence at short notice.