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South Africa’s long-awaited national artificial intelligence (AI) policy has been delayed to January 2027 after the government withdrew an earlier draft over fabricated academic references.
The setback has triggered renewed scrutiny over how generative AI is being used in policymaking and exposed weaknesses in government oversight.
A delegation from the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, led by Communications Minister Solly Malatsi, briefed parliament on Tuesday morning about new efforts to rebuild confidence in the country’s AI governance agenda after what officials described as a major credibility crisis.
The delay reinforces the tension facing African governments racing to regulate AI while still building institutional capacity to understand and govern it. South Africa had hoped to position itself as a continental leader in AI regulation and innovation, but the collapse of its first draft policy has exposed risks around overreliance on generative AI, weak internal oversight, and the challenge of crafting credible rules for a fast-moving technology that is already reshaping business and public services.
