DCDT (SA Department of Communications & Digital Technologies)
Draft National AI Policy
Withdrawn · 26 April 2026
SectorGovernment / Public sector
CountrySouth Africa
Document typeDraft National AI Policy
ConsequenceWithdrawn
What was fabricated
At least 6 of the 67 entries in its reference list were fictitious — citations attributed to recognised academic journals whose editors confirmed the articles had never been published.
What happened as a result
Published for comment 10 Apr 2026, withdrawal announced 26 Apr 2026 by Communications Minister Solly Malatsi and gazetted 12 Jun 2026; two DCDT officials placed on precautionary suspension.
Sources
- https://www.news24.com/business/tech/govts-draft-ai-policy-cites-fictitious-references-experts-believe-are-ai-hallucinations-20260424-1085
- https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/minister-announces-withdrawal-draft-ai-policy
- https://www.semafor.com/article/04/29/2026/south-africa-withdraws-ai-policy-over-ai-generated-sources
- https://theconversation.com/south-africas-ai-policy-cited-fake-research-created-by-ai-what-lessons-need-to-be-learned-281671
- https://www.itweb.co.za/article/sas-draft-ai-policy-officially-retracted/LPp6V7rBVwJ7DKQz
Every incident is confirmed against at least one reputable source (mainstream news, legal/official, or the organisation itself). Nothing unverifiable is listed. Accuracy is non-negotiable — Ukweli is a truth product.
Reuse this recordThe Integrity Watch is published under CC BY 4.0 — free to reuse with attribution to Ukweli (The Orkestra). The full dataset is available as JSON, and the complete register is at ukweli.io/integrity.