South Africa Withdraws Draft AI Policy Due to Fake References

Apr 27, 2026, 10:52

Introduction

Solly Malatsi, the South African Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies, has officially withdrawn the country's first draft of the national artificial intelligence (AI) policy. This decision follows the discovery that the document contained fake references.

Main Body

The draft policy was approved by the Cabinet on March 25 and was released for public feedback until June 10. The main goal of the framework was to make South Africa a regional leader in AI innovation. Furthermore, the government wanted to balance technological growth with the need to solve social and economic problems. The proposal suggested creating several oversight groups, including a National AI Commission, a Regulatory Authority, and an Ethics Board. To encourage private companies to participate, the policy proposed financial incentives such as grants and tax breaks. Acting Director-General Omega Shelembe emphasized that the document focused on ethical management, specifically aiming to reduce bias and address historical inequalities. However, an internal review revealed that the reference list included sources that did not exist. Minister Malatsi claimed that this was likely caused by the use of AI-generated citations that were not checked by humans. He criticized this as a failure of professional standards and asserted that the incident proves why human oversight is essential when using AI. As a result, the Minister confirmed that the staff responsible for drafting and checking the document will face disciplinary action.

Conclusion

South Africa has paused its AI policy development to fix these integrity issues. The government is now focusing on internal accountability and the importance of human verification in creating digital policies.

Vocabulary Learning

bias (n.)

a tendency to favor one side over another / prejudice or partiality偏見

Example:The algorithm shows no bias after the update.

disciplinary (adj.)

relating to punishment for wrongdoing / punitive or corrective懲戒的

Example:The disciplinary action was imposed on the staff.

framework (n.)

a basic structure or plan / a system of rules or ideas框架

Example:The framework outlines the steps to implement the policy.

incentives (n.)

things that encourage or motivate / measures to encourage鼓勵措施

Example:The government offered incentives to attract foreign investment.

withdrawn (adj.)

having been taken back or removed / to take back or remove已撤回

Example:The policy was withdrawn after the discovery of fake references.

Sentence Learning

The draft policy was approved by the Cabinet on March 25 and was released for public feedback until June 10.

Passive Voice: This sentence uses the passive voice to describe actions performed on the subject 'the draft policy'. The verb 'was approved' and 'was released' are in the simple past passive form, indicating that the Cabinet performed the approval and the policy was made available for public feedback.被動語態: 此句使用被動語態，描述對主語「草案政策」所進行的動作。動詞『was approved』和『was released』為簡單過去式被動語態，表示內閣批准了該政策，並將其公開供公眾回饋。

Minister Malatsi claimed that this was likely caused by the use of AI-generated citations that were not checked by humans.

Relative Clause: The relative clause 'that were not checked by humans' modifies the noun phrase 'citations', providing additional information about the citations. It is introduced by the relative pronoun 'that' and is in the past passive form.關係子句: 關係子句『that were not checked by humans』修飾名詞短語『citations』，提供關於這些引用的額外資訊。它以關係代詞『that』引導，且使用過去被動式。

However, an internal review revealed that the reference list included sources that did not exist.

Contrast Conjunction: The word 'However' is a contrastive conjunction that introduces a sentence that contrasts with the previous statement. It signals a shift from the earlier information to a new, opposing idea.對比連接詞: 『However』是一個對比連接詞，表示與前一句對照的資訊。它引出一個與前述內容相反的新觀點。

As a result, the Minister confirmed that the staff responsible for drafting and checking the document will face disciplinary action.

Result Conjunction: The phrase 'As a result' is a result linking word that connects the cause (the discovery of fake references) to its consequence (the Minister's confirmation). It introduces the outcome of the preceding situation.結果連接詞: 『As a result』是一個結果連接詞，將原因（發現偽造參考）與其後果（部長的確認）連結起來。它引導前述情況的結果。