Countries / South Africa

South Africa

South Africa has no AI policy or law in force after the Minister withdrew the draft National AI Policy in April 2026 over fictitious citations.

Voluntary principlesApproach
1Rules tracked
0Binding and in force
0Upcoming deadlines

No longer current (1)

  • Draft National AI Policy (withdrawn)
    StrategyDepartment of Communications and Digital Technologies (DCDT)Non-binding

    Cabinet-approved draft policy (25 Mar / 1 Apr 2026) published for comment proposing risk-based safeguards for high-risk AI and new institutional arrangements. The Minister withdrew it on 26 Apr 2026 after it was found to contain fictitious, apparently AI-generated, references.

    WithdrawnProposed 10 Apr 2026

What the rules require

Obligation types found across South Africa's instruments. Filled dot: imposed by a binding instrument. Ring: guidance only.

Risk classificationDraft National AI Policy (withdrawn)
Transparency to usersDraft National AI Policy (withdrawn)
Human oversightDraft National AI Policy (withdrawn)

Timeline