Dr Masimba Mavaza
When Zimbabwe’s name was called at the 89th Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights in Dakar, Senegal, it was not a junior officer who stood up. It was a seasoned defender of the Republic.
Led by Chief Director Tapiwa Fresh Godzi of the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, the Zimbabwean delegation delivered what observers have described as one of the most robust, factual, and dignified interventions of the session — a powerful defence of Zimbabwe’s record on the rights of older persons and persons with disabilities.
Responding to the Report of the Working Group on the Rights of Older Persons and Persons with Disabilities in Africa, presented by Commissioner Dr. Marie Louise Abomo, Chief Director Godzi had not come to apologise. He came to account, to educate, and to set the record straight.
From Ratification to Implementation
With calm authority, Chief Director Godzi reminded the Commission that Zimbabwe is not a country that just signs protocols for applause. In 2024, Zimbabwe ratified both the Protocol to the African Charter on the Rights of Older Persons in Africa and the Protocol on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa. And unlike many, Zimbabwe is now seized with implementation.
He informed the Commission that Zimbabwe has already amended its Persons with Disabilities Act to domesticate the provisions of the Protocol — translating continental commitment into concrete legislative action, exactly as called for in Recommendation (ii) of the Working Group’s report.
“We take note of the Working Group’s call for States Parties to translate their commitments into concrete legislative, administrative, budgetary and programmatic measures,” Godzi stated, before laying out Zimbabwe’s progress.
A Whole-of-Government Approach
What impressed the Commission was Zimbabwe’s revelation of a whole-of-government architecture that many larger economies have failed to build.
Godzi outlined that the Government has established a National Committee on Disability Inclusion,where government representatives convene regularly to review every project being implemented for persons with disabilities. This platform is used to train government agencies on disability inclusion and accessibility compliance, ensuring that the rights of persons with disabilities are implemented at every level of Government — from Harare to the remotest ward.
Going further, Zimbabwe is cascading disability inclusion into the private sector. A Disability Business Network has been formed, bringing together Government, the banking sector, National Employment Councils and other employers to build capacity on disability inclusion, followed by government-led accessibility audits to verify full compliance.
Giving Voice to the Voiceless
In line with Recommendation (iv) on accessibility as a condition for equitable participation, Chief Director Godzi announced that Zimbabwe is in the process of establishing a Sign Language and Braille Authority to standardise sign language and maintain a register of sign language specialists — ensuring that deaf persons are not just present, but are fully participating in national life.
A Country That Shares
Concluding his powerful intervention, Chief Director Godzi noted the Working Group’s call for universal ratification by 2028 and encouraged States that have not yet ratified to do so, offering that Zimbabwe stands ready to share its experience of domestication.
He closed by reaffirming that Zimbabwe continues to implement social protection programmes, respect the rights of older persons and persons with disabilities, raise community awareness, and empower them to live independently.
It was a confident, factual, and touching account of a nation that cares for its most vulnerable — not because a protocol says so, but because our culture demands it.
In Dakar, under the leadership of Chief Director Tapiwa Fresh Godzi, Zimbabwe did not just defend itself. It led by example.
