From Policy to Practice: A Systematic Review of Disability Rights Implementation in Zimbabwe

Background: Zimbabwe has enacted progressive disability rights legislation, including the Disabled Persons Act (1992), constitutional protections (2013), and ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD, 2013). However, significant gaps persist between policy commitments and lived realities for persons with disabilities.
Objective: This systematic review synthesises empirical evidence on the implementation of disability rights legislation and policy in Zimbabwe, examining barriers, enablers, and lived experiences across key life domains.
Methods: Following PRISMA 2020 guidelines, we systematically searched eight databases (Scopus, Informit, PubMed, Google Scholar, African Journals Online, and grey literature sources) for studies published between 2005 and 2025. We screened 148 unique papers using predefined eligibility criteria and extracted comprehensive data from 80 included studies. Narrative thematic synthesis was employed to analyse implementation findings, barriers, enablers, and lived experiences across education, employment, healthcare, justice, and accessibility domains.
Results: The review identified substantial policy-practice gaps across all domains. While Zimbabwe’s legal framework aligns with international standards, implementation is undermined by inadequate domestication, resource constraints, weak enforcement mechanisms, and pervasive attitudinal barriers. Institutional fragmentation, inaccessible infrastructure, and intersectional discrimination compound exclusion. Enablers include disabled persons’ organisations (DPOs), targeted institutional accommodations, and multi-stakeholder programming. Lived experiences reveal persistent exclusion in education, underemployment, healthcare discrimination, electoral barriers, and inaccessible public spaces.
Conclusions: Zimbabwe’s disability rights framework remains aspirational rather than operational. Bridging the policy-practice gap requires strengthened domestication of CRPD provisions, dedicated funding, disability-disaggregated data systems, accessible infrastructure, capacity building for frontline workers, and meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in implementation and monitoring.

disability rights, implementation, Zimbabwe, CRPD

1. Chataika, T. (2007). Inclusion of disabled students in higher education in Zimbabwe: From idealism to reality, A social ecosystem perspective [Doctoral dissertation, University of Sheffield]. https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/3606/ [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Chengeta, T., Mtetwa, E., & Mawere, M. (2012). Getting disability rights into the mainstream of human rights advocacy: An appraisal of Zimbabwean disability rights policies and legislation. Social Science Research Network. https://doi.org/10.2139/SSRN.2312340 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Chidemo, L., & Chindimba, A. (2019). Disability advocacy through media: Action power. The Routledge Handbook of Disability in Southern Africa. Routledge, Taylor and Francis. 315-321. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315278650 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Chigunwe, G. (2019). Big Doors Swing on Little Hinges: A Case of Women with Disabilities, Access to Sanitary Facilities and Maternal Health. Journal of Epidemiology and Public Health Reviews 4(2). https://doi.org/10.16966/2471-8211.174 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Chigunwe, G., Manyumwa, E., & Mtetwa, E. (2017). Views of people with physical disabilities on accessibility of public toilets in Bindura urban. International Open and Distance Learning Journal, 3(1), 1-15. https://www.infontd.org/resource/views-people-physical-disabilities-accessibility-public-toilets-bindura-urban [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Dube, T., Mpofu, J., & Shava, E. (2021). Interventions to reduce the exclusion of children with disabilities from education: A Zimbabwean perspective from the field. Cogent Social Sciences, 7(1), Article 1913848. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2021.1913848 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Dziva, C. (2018). Advancing the rights of rural women with disabilities in Zimbabwe: Challenges and opportunities for the twenty first century [Doctoral dissertation]. https://www.scirp.org/reference/referencespapers?referenceid=3638253 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Dziva, C., & Du Plessis, G. (2022). Rural women with disabilities in Zimbabwe: A critical feminist disability account. South African Review of Sociology, 53(3-4), 3-19. https://doi.org/10.1080/21528586.2022.2137842 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Dziva, C., Shoko, M., & Zvobgo E.F. (2018). Implementation of the 2006 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Zimbabwe: A review. African Journal of Disability, 7, Article a389. https://doi.org/10.4102/AJOD.V7I0.389 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Eide, A. H., & Ingstad, B. (2011). Disability and poverty: A global challenge. Policy Press. DOI:10.1332/policypress/9781847428851.003.0001 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Fixsen, D. L., Naoom, S. F., Blase, K. A., Friedman, R. M., & Wallace, F. (2005). Implementation research: A synthesis of the literature. University of South Florida. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/242511155_Implementation_Research_A_Synthesis_of_the_Literature_Dean_L_Fixsen [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Grech, S. (2015). Disability and poverty in the Global South: Renegotiating development in Guatemala. Palgrave Macmillan. https://content.e-bookshelf.de/media/reading/L-7518690-ac36b8d4b5.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Nyamukondiwa, F., & Mazambani, D. (2024). The mandate of the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission in promoting and protecting the rights of persons with disabilities. African Disability Rights Yearbook, 12, 53-60. https://doi.org/10.29053/adry.v12i1.5532 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Magaracha, C., Shava, E., & Mpofu, J. (2025). Availability of assistive technologies (ATs) to children with disabilities in Bulawayo central district (BCD) in Zimbabwe. Disability and Rehabilitation: Assistive Technology, 20(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1080/17483107.2025.2454241 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Mandipa, E. (2011). A critical analysis of the legal and institutional frameworks for the realisation of the rights of persons with disabilities in Zimbabwe [Master’s thesis]. https://repository.up.ac.za/items/0eed3f30-931b-44a0-94ac-7a19eacca0d3 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Manungo, R. D. (2023). Listening to students: The experiences of disabled students of learning in a selected university in Zimbabwe. African Journal of Disability, 12, Article e2341. https://doi.org/10.59765/szar3410 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Manyumwa, E. (2018). Inclusion and the psychosocial experiences of students with visual impairments in a Zimbabwe state university. African Educational Research Journal, 6(3), 172-180. https://doi.org/10.30918/AERJ.63.18.072 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Maruzani, N., Chindanya, A., & Mubika, A. K. (2014). Gender, disability and empowerment in institutions of higher learning in Zimbabwe. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 19(8), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.9790/0837-19840107 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Mashanyare, T., Shava, E., & Mpofu, J. (2025). Challenges with the disability policy framework in Zimbabwe: An in-depth qualitative analysis of perspectives of youth with disabilities. Preprints. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202501.0867.v1 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Maunganidze, F., Kaseke, E., & Mupedziswa, R. (2022). Employment barriers and opportunities faced by people with albinism: A case of youths with albinism in Harare, Zimbabwe. Cogent Social Sciences, 8(1), Article 2092309. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2022.2092309 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Meekosha, H. (2011). Decolonising disability: Thinking and acting globally. Disability & Society, 26(6), 667-682. DOI:10.1080/09687599.2011.602860 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Mitra, S. (2018). Disability, health and human development. Palgrave Macmillan. DOI:10.1057/978-1-137-53638-9 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Mthethwa, E. (2019). Models and case studies of managing disability in Zimbabwe: from Jiri to Mujaji. Journal of Development Administration Vol 1. 3-4. https://africasocialwork.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/2-1-mthethwa_models-and-case-studies-of-managing-disability-in-zimbabwe-from-jiri-to-mujaji.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. Mukushi, A. T., Dziva, C., & Shava, E. (2019). Cultural and religious beliefs and practices abusive to children with disabilities in Zimbabwe. Global Journal of Health Science, 11(7), 103-112. https://doi.org/10.5539/GJHS.V11N7P103 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Munemo, E. (2014). Enhancement of access and inclusion of people with visual impairment in the electoral process in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe Open University. 16-28. https://ir.zou.ac.zw/download/files/original/16abb1959809d5a93b17d0c1e2477fa2.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. Mutswanga, P. (2018). An exploration of personal experiences of deaf people in accessing, participating and completing higher education in Zimbabwe [Doctoral dissertation]. Zimbabwe Open University. https://ir.zou.ac.zw/items/show/320 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

27. Ncube, M., Moyo, S., & Ndlovu, T. (2025). Addressing barriers and creating opportunities for women with disabilities in gendered economies: A case of Masvingo urban Zimbabwe. Journal of Gender Studies. https://doi.org/10.71458/19mtas43 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

28. Ndhlovu, E., & Mudzingwa, N. (2022). Disability inclusion and accessibility in Zimbabwe. Sharing views and experiences of blind and partially sighted persons living in the city of Bulawayo. The Journal of Public Space, 7(2), 270-277. https://doi.org/10.32891/jps.v7i2.1606 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

29. North, D. C. (1990). Institutions, institutional change and economic performance. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511808678 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

30. Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J. M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., L, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S., Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. BMJ, 372, Article n71. doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.n71 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

31. Petticrew, M., & Roberts, H. (2006). Systematic reviews in the social sciences: A practical guide. Blackwell Publishing. DOI:10.1002/9780470754887 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

32. Popay, J., Roberts, H., Sowden, A., Petticrew, M., Arai, L., Rodgers, M., Britten, N., Roen, K., & Duffy, S. (2006). Guidance on the conduct of narrative synthesis in systematic reviews. ESRC Methods Programme. DOI:10.13140/2.1.1018.4643 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

33. Rugoho, T. (2023). Disability and sexuality in Zimbabwe [Doctoral dissertation]. https://doi.org/10.5463/thesis.468 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

34. Rugoho, T., Mtetwa, E., & Zvobgo, L. (2023). NGOs and the promotion of the sexual and reproductive rights of girls and young women with disabilities in Zimbabwe. Social Policy and Society, 22(4), 615-630. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1474746422000641 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

35. Shava, E. (2023). Rethinking human rights and citizenship for blind people in Zimbabwe: The struggle for social inclusion. University of Illinois Chicago. https://doi.org/10.25417/uic.24242398 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

36. Shumba, N., & Magadze, T. (2023). Access to justice dynamics for women and girls with disabilities: The Zimbabwean context. Journal of Law, Society and Development, 9(2), 1-25. https://doi.org/10.25159/2520-9515/12267 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

37. Sibanda, P. (2015). Reviewing the models of disability within the frameworks for the empowerment of people with disabilities in Zimbabwe. Scientific Journal of Pure and Applied Sciences, 4(11), 230-239. https://doi.org/10.14196/SJPAS.V4I11.2049 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

38. Smythe, T., Adelson, J. D., Polack, S., Munyaradzi, M., Kampondeni, S., Lavy, C., & Kuper, H. (2022). A path toward disability-inclusive health in Zimbabwe Part 1: A qualitative study on access to healthcare. African Journal of Disability, 11, Article a990. https://doi.org/10.4102/ajod.v11i0.990 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

39. Tlou, F., & Nyoni, T. (2021). Alignments and mismatches of policies on children with learning difficulties/disabilities to professional practice expectations in Zimbabwe: A reality check. American Journal of Educational Research, 9(8), 485-493. https://doi.org/10.12691/EDUCATION-9-8-1 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

40. Tom, T. (2024). Accessibility, security, and associated policy issues for people with disabilities in Zimbabwe’s urban areas. Journal of Urban Affairs, 46(8), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1080/07352166.2024.2379890 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

41. United Nations. (2006). Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. United Nations. https://social.desa.un.org/issues/disability/crpd/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities-crpd [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

42. Woyowa, E., Venganai, H., & Benhura, A. (2025). Empowering the unseen: The agency of women with disabilities in tackling poverty across rural and urban landscapes. Disability & Society, 40(10), 2718. https://doi.org/10.1080/09687599.2025.2450536 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

43. Zenzo, M., Shava, E., & Mpofu, J. (2024). Barriers to the participation of persons with disabilities in rural local governance: The case of Bikita District, Zimbabwe. African Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Research, 7(2), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.52589/ajsshr-i19bubf6 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

44. Zinahwa, M. (2020). Socio-cultural factors leading to the marginalisation of children living with disabilities in accessing education in Zimbabwe: The case study of Mutare District [Master’s thesis]. https://repository.out.ac.tz/2781/1/DISSERTATION%20-%20MOSES%20ZINAHWA%20-%20FINAL%20-%201%20%20.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

45. Zvisinei, P. B., & Govero, C. C. (2019). Assessment experiences of students with disabilities in higher education: A case of students with disabilities at one higher education institution in Masvingo District of Zimbabwe. Journal of Education and Practice, 10(12), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.7176/jep/10-18-06 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]