The Department of Home Affairs has suspended two senior officials after apparent AI-generated citations were linked to the newly Cabinet-approved Revised White Paper on Citizenship, Immigration and Refugee Protection.

The department confirmed that one Chief Director involved in the sector was placed on precautionary suspension on Saturday. A second suspension, involving a Director connected to the drafting of the document, was set to take effect on Monday.

The move follows concerns over references attached to the White Paper. According to the initial internal review, the citations were added after the document was drafted and were not directly referenced in the main text.

Reference List Withdrawn

Home Affairs has withdrawn the disputed reference list while an independent investigation gets underway.

The department has also appointed two independent law firms to oversee disciplinary proceedings and review all policy documents produced since 30 November 2022, the date it identified as the moment the first Large Language Model became public.

This review aims to establish how the inaccurate citations were included and whether similar problems appear in other department documents.

The department said the core content of the Revised White Paper still reflects government’s position on reforms to citizenship, immigration and refugee protection. It also said the policy proposals came through a cross-departmental process and public consultation.

Department Apologises for Lapse

Home Affairs has apologised for the quality control failure.

The department described the suspensions and independent review as steps to fix the problem and prevent a repeat. It also acknowledged that artificial intelligence can bring major benefits, while warning that it remains “transformative but disruptive”.

The case puts fresh pressure on government departments to strengthen checks around AI use, especially in official policy work.

For South Africans, the issue is bigger than a bad reference list. It goes to trust in public documents, the integrity of immigration reform and the systems used to shape decisions that affect people’s lives.

Home Affairs says it is using the incident to modernise its internal processes and tighten oversight as technology becomes more embedded in public administration.