Communications Minister Solly Malatsi has appointed an independent panel of AI researchers, lawyers and governance specialists to rebuild South Africa’s draft national AI policy, a document he was forced to withdraw last month after academic citations in its reference list were found to have been fabricated by a generative AI tool.
“We cannot discuss the issue of policy without discussing the matter of the draft national artificial intelligence policy, and the revelation that generative AI was used irresponsibly during the drafting of this policy,” Malatsi told MPs Tuesday as he tabled the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies’ R2.55 billion budget for the 2026/2027 financial year. “We will be enforcing an internal responsible AI use policy, and review our policy development process, to ensure that this type of occurrence does not happen again. South Africa deserves better.”
The panel will be chaired by Wits University AI researcher Benjamin Rosman, who was named to Time’s list of the 100 most influential thinkers in AI in 2025. Other members include Vukosi Marivate of the University of Pretoria, Alison Gillwald of Research ICT Africa, attorney Heather Irvine, Tshepo Feela, the CSIR’s Jabu Mtsweni and Lufuno Tshikalange. The group spans AI research, law and digital governance.
Malatsi said the panel has been tasked with ensuring that the revised policy is based on the best available evidence and aligned with South Africa’s national priorities before it is reintroduced for public comment. No timeline was given for the new draft.
The original draft AI policy was approved by Cabinet on March 25 and gazetted on April 10 for public comment. It was withdrawn within two weeks of its release. At least six of the 67 entries in the document’s reference list were drawn from journals that did not exist or were attributed to journals that had never published the cited work. Editors of the South African Journal of Philosophy, AI & Society and the Journal of Ethics and Social Philosophy independently confirmed to News24 — which first broke the story — that articles credited to their publications had never appeared.
Malatsi described the use of generative AI in the drafting process as irresponsible and acknowledged that the episode had damaged the credibility of the document. Withdrawal, he said, had been the only viable option.
The political fallout has been considerable. ANC MP Khusela Diko, who chairs parliament’s communications portfolio committee, demanded the policy be scrapped and accused Malatsi of hunting for a “scape-bot.” Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson, a fellow Democratic Alliance Cabinet minister, defended Malatsi publicly. Technology investor Stafford Masie had earlier published an open letter through TechCentral warning that the policy risked “regulating away” South Africa’s participation in the global AI economy by prioritizing governance over infrastructure investment.
The withdrawn draft had proposed the creation of seven new institutions, including a National AI Commission, an AI Ethics Board, an AI Insurance Superfund and a National AI Safety Institute.
Separately, Malatsi told MPs the department has begun finalizing the audio-visual services and media policy and will advance the Electronic Communications Amendment Bill to modernize the licensing regime and address convergence in the sector.
Until a revised AI policy is gazetted, South Africa remains without a formal national framework to govern the technology — at a time when AI is increasingly woven into both public administration and private sector workflows. Malatsi told MPs the redraft under Rosman and the rest of the panel will get the country back on track after the setback.
