The Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, Solly Malatsi, has withdrawn the draft National Artificial Intelligence Policy after it was found to contain fictitious references, most likely generated by AI.

In a statement on Sunday, Malatsi said that his Department had immediately raised internal questions about the matter, following media reports that fake sources were used in the policy’s reference list.

News24 first reported on the issue, identifying several references citing non-existent academic journals. Other references cited real journals, but senior editors at those journals confirmed that the articles referenced had never been published.

After confirming it was the case, Malatsi says he decided to withdraw the policy.

“This failure is not a mere technical issue but has compromised the integrity and credibility of the draft policy. As such, I am withdrawing the Draft National Artificial Intelligence Policy. South Africans deserve better.”

Malatsi says the Department failed to uphold the standard that is acceptable for an institution entrusted with the role to lead South Africa‘s digital policy environment.

“The most plausible explanation is that AI-generated citations were included without proper verification. This should not have happened. In fact, this unacceptable lapse proves why vigilant human oversight over the use of artificial intelligence is critical. It’s a lesson we take with humility. I want to reassure the country that we are treating this matter with the gravity it deserves. There will be consequence management for those responsible for drafting and quality assurance.”

Malatsi did not give a timeline for when a revised draft AI policy will be published for comments.

Under the now-withdrawn version, it introduced new expectations around governance, ethics, accountability and sector-specific oversight.