Solly Malatsi, Minister of Communications and Digital Technology. (Photo: Solly Malatsi/X)
Solly Malatsi, the minister of communications and digital technology, undertook to investigate after it became known on Saturday that some of the academic journal articles cited in the government’s new draft policy on artificial intelligence (AI) are fictitious.
Malatsi presented this draft policy for public comment just earlier this month in the Government Gazette published. Several proposals are made in the draft. Among other things, it is proposed that institutions be set up – including an AI ethics board.
However, it is now suspected that officials in Malatsi’s department may (and ironically) have used artificial intelligence to draft the draft policy, ultimately leading to the policy being based on fabricated research.
News24 revealed on Saturday that the national AI draft policy contained at least six fictitious references.
This publication checked the 67 references cited in the draft policy and found that “several of them either cite an academic journal that does not exist, or an article that does not appear in an established journal”.
Johan Fourie, economic historian at Stellenbosch University, helped the online publication check the references.
According to News24, Fourie himself checked three references and found that none of the three existed. “I then tested them with an AI tool and came to the conclusion that none of the three were found in general academic databases.”
News24 suspects that the policy may contain more than six fictitious references.
Malatsi has now pledged to take action.
“I have asked the director-general to investigate and take action against anyone who can be held responsible for any wrongdoing,” the minister said in response to News24’s report.
I have asked the DG to investigate and take action against anyone found to be responsible for any wrongdoing. https://t.co/boz6bQZvn2
— SollyMalatsi (@SollyMalatsi) April 25, 2026
According to the Government Gazette the draft policy was approved by the cabinet on 25 March 2026 (combined with the special session of the cabinet on 1 April 2026) for public comment.
The draft policy is modeled on the South African national artificial intelligence policy framework of August 2024, the 32 submissions received on this framework, and consultations with government structures through the cabinet cluster process.
Matatsi in his notice in the Government Gazette admitted that setting a policy agenda for AI is inherently complex, “as the technology has an enormous range of applications”.
“Due to the wide range of applications and applicability in almost every imaginable sector, a general national policy cannot and should not pay attention to every aspect of AI,” says Malatsi’s notice.
“The primary objective of a national policy is rather to identify the core principles that guide sectoral approaches.”