South Africa expects Cabinet to finalise its replacement national AI policy before the end of March 2027, communications minister Solly Malatsi told TechCabal on Thursday, 15 October. Public consultation is expected to begin in April, the outlet reports.
The false start
In May, South Africa withdrew its draft national AI policy after fictitious academic references were found in it. Malatsi said two officials in his department were suspended for failing to disclose AI use in preparing material that contributed to the fabricated references. One has since resigned. Disciplinary proceedings against the other are still under way, according to TechCabal.
"Having such a major stain on an important policy is something that cannot just be allowed to slide," Malatsi told the outlet. "It was clear that there had been non-disclosure around the use of AI, which contributed to the hallucinations that emerged in the policy."
Earlier the same day, at CollectiveXchange 2026, a national digital skills and jobs summit in Johannesburg, he told delegates: "Yes, it is very late, and that is the consequence of having a false start."
What happens next
- An independent AI review panel led by Professor Benjamin Rosman of the Machine Intelligence and Neural Discovery Institute at the University of the Witwatersrand is drafting the replacement.
- Government departments give input first, followed by civil society, residents, the private sector and other stakeholders, Malatsi said.
- He said much of the withdrawn draft was credible, including protections for South Africans' rights and dignity online.
- He wants the new policy to include a way for people to seek redress when AI is used unethically.
Malatsi rejected the suggestion that the government had set a new deadline, saying an earlier January 2027 reference and the end of the 2026/27 financial year were not separate dates.
