South Africa’s revised national artificial intelligence policy faces a 30 November 2026 deadline for submission to the communications minister, with cabinet consideration expected by March 2027.
According to TechCentral, Jeanette Morwane, acting deputy director-general at the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies, outlined the timetable at a South Africa–Finland AI dialogue in Pretoria on 29 October.
The drafting team must complete the revised policy and an accompanying discussion document this month. Internal government consultations are scheduled for December through February.
Cabinet would then consider releasing the draft for public comment. Final approval would require a further submission after public feedback has been processed; no date has been announced for that stage.
The rewrite follows the withdrawal of an earlier draft in April after fictitious references were discovered.
An independent expert panel chaired by Wits University AI researcher Benjamin Rosman is advising the process. Officials are also developing an implementation roadmap alongside the policy.
Priorities include computing infrastructure, control over data and AI models that accommodate South Africa’s official languages, placing local capability and inclusion at the centre of the discussions.
