South Africa Delays Revised AI Policy to March 2027 to Focus on Sectoral Regulators

South Africa's Department of Communications and Digital Technologies plans to submit a revised national artificial intelligence policy paper to the Cabinet in March 2027, according to Engineering News. Jeanette Morwane, deputy director-general of the department's Media and Content Branch, confirmed the updated timetable on 21 October during the law firm Bowmans' X Tech 2026 event series.

The revised schedule follows the withdrawal of an earlier draft national policy by Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi. Malatsi withdrew the previous draft after its reference list was found to contain fictitious sources, which he said were most plausibly AI-generated citations included without proper verification. That original version had proposed creating several new institutions, including a National AI Commission and an AI Ethics Board.

Regulatory restructuring

According to Morwane, Pretoria is now favouring the empowerment of established sector regulators rather than creating standalone oversight bodies. The department is conducting a wide review of existing legislation governing the digital ecosystem, including the Electronic Communications Act and the Films and Publications Act. Officials noted that the redrafted policy will place stronger emphasis on practical consumer protection, fraud prevention, and mitigating online harms for minors. In parallel, the government intends to prioritise local digital infrastructure investments to ensure domestic businesses can participate meaningfully in the expanding technology landscape.

What it means

For developing nations balancing digital innovation against fiscal constraints, South Africa's strategic shift illustrates that reinforcing existing regulators and statutory frameworks offers a more sustainable governance model than establishing costly new administrative institutions.