By Dr George Mwika Kayange | 21 May 2026
On 20 May 2026, I had the honour of presenting to parliamentarians from across Southern Africa at the 59th Plenary Assembly Standing Committee Session of the SADC Parliamentary Forum. The session was held at the Southern Sun OR Tambo Hotel in Johannesburg, South Africa.
I presented on behalf of the Southern Africa Federation of the Disabled (SAFOD), the leading regional network representing organisations of persons with disabilities across all 16 SADC Member States.
The topic: The Role of Parliament in Advancing Disability-Inclusive Governance in the SADC Region.
Why This Conversation Matters
Over 84 million persons with disabilities live in Africa. They represent approximately 15 per cent of the continent’s population. In Southern Africa, they remain among the most excluded from education, employment, health care, and civic life.
This is not a welfare problem. It is a governance failure.
The legal frameworks to address this exist. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) has been in force since 2008. The African Union adopted its Protocol on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2018, and it entered into force in June 2024. All SADC Member States — except Botswana — have ratified the UNCRPD.
Yet implementation across the SADC region remains weak and uneven. The gap between commitment and reality is wide.
Parliaments are the bridge that can close that gap.
The SADC Disability Mainstreaming Problem
SADC has no disability-specific regional protocol. Disability is not treated as a standalone priority in the SADC human rights framework. It sits, at best, as a subcategory under broader social development work.
The consequences are real. There are no consistent regional standards for disability inclusion. There are no strong accountability mechanisms to hold governments to account. Member States report progress — or fail to — with no binding regional framework to measure against.
SAFOD has been making this case since 2016, when it began desk research on how inclusive existing SADC protocols and instruments actually were for persons with disabilities. The answer, in short, was: not very.
What SAFOD Is Doing About It
In 2020, SAFOD completed the Draft SADC Disability Protocol — a regional instrument developed through extensive consultation with governments, civil society, and organisations of persons with disabilities across the region.
Since then, SAFOD has engaged government duty bearers in Malawi, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. The response has been encouraging. In 2021, SAFOD secured an audience with the then SADC Chairperson, His Excellency Dr Lazarus Chakwera, President of Malawi, who expressed his personal support for the protocol and committed to advancing the establishment of a disability desk at the SADC Secretariat.
A three-year advocacy roadmap was developed from a regional protocol seminar in 2023, mapping out strategic actions to build political will across the region and within SADC structures.
The work continues.
The Three Critical Functions of Parliament
In my presentation, I argued that parliaments hold three functions that are essential to disability-inclusive governance.
1. Domestication
Ratifying the UNCRPD or signing up to the AU Protocol means nothing if the commitments are not translated into national law. Parliaments must audit existing legislation for compliance, repeal discriminatory provisions, and enact disability-inclusive laws. They must develop national action plans with clear timelines and ensure that disability is integrated into sectoral policy — not treated as an add-on.
2. Oversight
Laws without accountability are just words. Parliamentary committees must monitor whether governments are actually implementing their commitments. This means requiring regular progress reports, tracking budget allocations for disability programs, and holding executive agencies to account when they fall short. It also means building direct relationships with national disability organisations so that accountability flows from the ground up.
3. Inclusive Governance
The principle of “Nothing About Us Without Us” is not a slogan. It is a governance standard. Parliaments must create formal mechanisms for persons with disabilities to participate in legislative processes. Parliamentary facilities and information must be accessible. Organisations of persons with disabilities must have a seat at the table — not as token consultees, but as substantive partners.
The Twin-Track Approach
One of the key messages I shared was the importance of the twin-track approach to disability inclusion. Mainstreaming disability across all sectors and programs is essential. But it is not enough on its own.
Some persons with disabilities face barriers so significant that mainstreaming alone will not reach them. Targeted interventions — disability-specific services, reasonable accommodation measures, and dedicated support mechanisms — are also required.
Both tracks are necessary. Only together do they produce full inclusion and equal participation.
A Strong Model for Change Exists
There are good examples from within the region that show what parliamentary action can deliver.
In South Africa, disability legislation and active oversight committees have driven real accountability. In Kenya, parliamentary advocacy led to the enactment of the Persons with Disabilities Act in 2025, with meaningful enforcement mechanisms. In Namibia, a Disability Council chaired by the Prime Minister ensures high-level political ownership. In Zambia, a recent CRPD Committee review produced concrete national action commitments.
These examples do not represent finished work. But they demonstrate what is possible when parliaments lead.
The Moment for a SADC Disability Protocol
The 59th Plenary Assembly session was a reminder of what the SADC Parliamentary Forum can do. It brings together parliamentarians from across the region, creates space for shared learning, and drives advocacy for the domestication of regional commitments.
SAFOD is asking parliamentarians to use that platform actively for disability rights.
The Draft SADC Disability Protocol provides the regional framework that is currently missing. It would create consistent standards across Member States, establish accountability mechanisms, and embed disability rights firmly within the SADC integration agenda. It would complement the UNCRPD and the AU Protocol with a framework built specifically for the Southern African context.
The political will is building. SAFOD’s consultations show that governments are listening. What is needed now is sustained, coordinated parliamentary pressure to move the protocol from draft to adoption.
What Parliamentarians Can Do
The case for action is clear. Here is where to start:
- Conduct a disability audit of existing national legislation.
- Establish or strengthen parliamentary committees with a disability mandate.
- Engage directly with national disability organisations and federations.
- Advocate within the SADC Parliamentary Forum for adoption of the Draft SADC Disability Protocol.
- Ensure that disability perspectives are integrated into budget processes and development planning.
Final Thought
Disability rights do not advance on their own. They advance because people fight for them — through advocacy, through community organising, and through the hard work of pushing institutions to act.
SAFOD has been doing that work in Southern Africa for nearly four decades. The SADC Parliamentary Forum provides a powerful platform to accelerate progress.
The time to act is now. Persons with disabilities across Southern Africa are not asking for charity. They are claiming their rights. Parliaments have the power — and the responsibility — to answer that call.
Dr George Mwika Kayange presented at the 59th Plenary Assembly Standing Committee Session of the SADC Parliamentary Forum on 20 May 2026 in Johannesburg, South Africa, on behalf of the Southern Africa Federation of the Disabled (SAFOD). SAFOD is the leading regional disability-focused network operating across all 16 SADC Member States. Learn more at safod.net.