By Dr George Mwika Kayange | SAFOD | April 2026
On 14 April 2026, disability rights advocates, government delegates, and civil society leaders gathered in Johannesburg for the SAFOD Consultative Regional Roundtable Forum. The agenda was focused: review, strengthen, and build consensus around the draft regional protocol on the rights of persons with disabilities.
I opened proceedings with a presentation tracing how we got here — and why this moment matters.
The Gap That Started Everything
All 16 SADC Member States have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). The African Disability Protocol, adopted by the African Union in 2018, has been ratified by several SADC countries. The SADC Treaty itself prohibits discrimination on disability grounds.
So what’s missing?
There is no dedicated human rights framework or coordination mechanism for persons with disabilities at the SADC regional level. Not one. The SADC Secretariat has no disability desk, no focal point, no monitoring mechanism, and no shared standards for Member States to follow.
This is not a minor oversight. It has real consequences.
What Inaction Looks Like
Without a specific SADC Protocol, the status quo will persist:
- Women, girls, children, youth, and older persons with disabilities face systemic discrimination with no regional protection measures.
- Persons with albinism continue to face ritual killings, abductions, and mutilation – with no binding intergovernmental protection mechanism.
- Member States have no shared standards, no peer review process, and no coordinated monitoring of disability inclusion.
- SADC’s stated commitment to human rights and leaving no one behind is directly undermined.
These are not hypothetical risks. They are documented realities across the region.
SAFOD’s Decade-Long Campaign
The push for an SADC Disability Protocol did not begin overnight. SAFOD has been building this case for over a decade.
In 2016, SAFOD commissioned a formal review of existing SADC protocols to assess how well they addressed disability. The finding, published in 2017, was clear: disability rights were not adequately covered in any SADC protocol.
In 2020, SAFOD developed a CSO draft SADC Disability Protocol through direct consultation with all 16 affiliate national federations. The draft focuses on those most at risk: children, youth, women, older persons, and those vulnerable to harmful traditional practices.
A policy brief calling for formal adoption was published in 2022, building the public and political case.
The Protocol is directed at the SADC Heads of State Summit, the Council of Ministers, the SADC Secretariat, national assemblies, government ministries, and civil society.
Building the Evidence Base: Country Consultations
Between 2022 and November 2024, SAFOD completed in-country consultations in eight of the 16 SADC member states — exactly half the region.
Round 1 covered Mozambique (2022), Namibia, Botswana, and Malawi (2024). Round 2, completed in November 2024, included Lesotho, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Zambia.
Six key themes emerged from these consultations:
- Albinism and harmful practices. Zambia, Malawi, and Zimbabwe are epicentres of ritual killings, abductions, and mutilation. The Protocol must treat these as aggravated offences.
- Accessibility standards. No SADC-wide minimum standards exist. The experience of a person with a disability travelling between Member States varies enormously.
- Disaster risk reduction. Persons with disabilities are routinely excluded from DRR planning. Heat waves pose specific risks to persons with albinism.
- Rural persons with disabilities. Rural needs are distinct. A token phrase is not enough—a dedicated protocol article is required.
- Youth and women with disabilities. Employment exclusion, forced sterilisation, and political marginalisation are documented and real.
- Monitoring and data. No disability-disaggregated data exists at the regional level. SDG monitoring frameworks routinely ignore disability targets.
What the Draft Protocol Contains
The current draft — Version 3, dated July 2025 — contains 44 articles. It covers:
- Definitions, objectives, principles, and state obligations.
- Non-discrimination: women, youth, children, and older persons.
- Accessibility, disaster risk reduction, right to life, and liberty.
- Legal capacity, justice, and protection from torture and violence.
- Education, health, employment, politics, and culture.
- A dedicated monitoring mechanism, institutional framework, sanctions, and entry into force provisions.
This is a comprehensive document. It is grounded in consultation with the people it is meant to protect.
The Missing Piece: A Disability Unit at the SADC Secretariat
Even if the Protocol is adopted, it needs an institutional home. Right now, there is none.
SADC has Technical Advisory Committees for gender, HIV/AIDS, and education. Disability has nothing equivalent. There is no focal point at the SADC Secretariat. Without one, the Protocol risks being adopted on paper and ignored in practice.
The proposal is for a dedicated Disability Coordination Unit at the SADC Secretariat, headed by a full-time director — preferably a person with a disability. This unit would coordinate protocol development, mainstream disability across SADC sectors, facilitate the elimination of harmful practices, and monitor implementation across all 16 member states.
Zimbabwe and Zambia have already committed to champion this call.
The Call to Action
The Johannesburg Forum was not a rubber-stamp exercise. It was a working event — three days of critical engagement with all 44 articles.
The asks were direct:
- Review and strengthen the Draft Protocol. Propose improvements, flag gaps, and sharpen the language.
- Endorse the Disability Coordination Unit. Advocate for its immediate establishment — and take that message home to your government.
- Carry commitments home. Governments, human rights commissions, and civil society organisations must translate forum outcomes into Cabinet-level submissions.
- Expand the consultation base. SAFOD will continue consultations in Tanzania, Mozambique, Mauritius, and other SADC states.
The next steps are clear: consolidate the forum report, continue engagement with member states; hold a regional consensus conference; submit to the SADC Secretariat; and push for adoption at the Summit.
Why This Matters
Ten years of work. Eight countries consulted. A 44-article draft. Governments beginning to commit.
The SADC Disability Protocol is not a wish. It is a work in progress — one that is closer to reality than it has ever been.
The question is no longer whether SADC needs this Protocol. The evidence answers that plainly. The question now is whether Member States will act.
Dr George Mwika Kayange delivered this presentation at the SAFOD Consultative Regional Roundtable Forum on 14 April 2026 in Johannesburg, South Africa. SAFOD — the Southern Africa Federation of the Disabled — is the leading disability network coordinating national affiliate federations across all 16 SADC Member States.
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