tech

April 28, 2026

South Africa withdraws national AI policy after at least 6 of 67 academic citations found to be AI-generated hallucinations

South Africa’s Communications Minister Solly Malatsi withdrew the country’s draft national AI policy after News24 discovered that at least 6 of its 67 academic citations were AI-generated hallucinations, citing fake articles in real journals. The policy had been approved by Cabinet in March and published for public comment. Malatsi called it an “unacceptable lapse” and promised consequence management. The scandal leaves South Africa without an AI governance framework and raises questions about institutional capacity to regulate the technology.

South Africa withdraws national AI policy after at least 6 of 67 academic citations found to be AI-generated hallucinations

TL;DR

  • South Africa's draft national AI policy was withdrawn after discovering AI-generated, hallucinated citations.
  • At least six of the policy's 67 academic citations were found to be fake articles published in real journals.
  • Communications Minister Solly Malatsi called the incident an "unacceptable lapse" and promised consequence management.
  • The scandal leaves South Africa without an AI governance framework and damages its credibility in international AI regulation discussions.
  • The issue highlights the broader problem of generative AI producing plausible but false information, emphasizing the need for human verification.
  • The South African Department of Communications and Digital Technologies proposed a National AI Commission, AI Ethics Board, and other regulatory bodies in the draft policy.
  • The withdrawal resets South Africa's timeline for establishing an AI governance framework.

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