South Africa delays AI policy to 2027 after fake references

South Africa’s national artificial intelligence policy has been delayed until at least January 2027 after the government withdrew a draft found to contain fabricated academic references, an incident that has triggered an internal investigation and exposed weaknesses in oversight. Two officials from the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies have been placed on precautionary suspension in connection with the error.

Communications Minister Solly Malatsi informed Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies on Tuesday that the draft policy, which was approved by Cabinet in March and published for public comment in April, was withdrawn following reports that its reference list included fictitious citations, journals, and authors. Minister Malatsi stated the department had not identified the issues before they were exposed in news reports.

The minister explained that an internal investigation was launched, leading to the precautionary suspension of two officials to allow the process to proceed without their involvement. He emphasized that a suspension does not imply guilt but is a procedural step. Director-General Nonkqubela Jordan-Dyani...