By Nyasha Chuma
HARARE — Delegates attending the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Twins Association 2026 conference in Harare have called on governments across the region to enact targeted policies, including maternal health support grants and specialized healthcare provisions, to alleviate the economic and medical burdens on families raising multiples.
The regional conference, hosted by the Twins Association of Zimbabwe (TAZI) under the theme “Empowering Southern Africa Twins Organisations,” brought together delegates from South Africa, Zambia, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe.
While the conference addressed the ongoing social stigma and cultural superstitions surrounding multiple births in parts of Southern Africa, deliberations focused heavily on practical policy interventions
Multiple discussions: Delegates at the SADC Twins Association Conference in Harare
. Delegates emphasized that raising twins, triplets, or higher-order multiples presents severe socio-economic challenges that require deliberate state assistance, ranging from maternal support grants to dedicated clinical care within public healthcare systems.
Speaking at the event, TAZI co-founder Farai Katonha reflected on the rapid growth of the advocacy movement from a localized initiative established in 2016 alongside his twin brother, Tendai Katonha, into a regional diplomatic platform.
”When we started TAZI in 2016, it was just the two of us trying to bring twins in our community together,” said Farai Katonha, co-founder of TAZI. “To see that grow into a gathering of this size, with families from across the region, tells us we built something bigger than ourselves.”
Co-founder Tendai Katonha noted that the increasing turnout reflects an urgent, long-standing need for institutional backing across SADC member states.
”Every year this conference gets bigger because the need was always there , families raising multiples just needed a home. Harare has become that home,” he said.
The gathering highlighted the growing profile of twin advocacy across Africa, supported by the patronage of twin sons from Zimbabwe’s First Family to the continental body, the Africa Twins Association (ATA), since 2025. Delegates noted that this high-level recognition has elevated multiple-birth advocacy into mainstream policy discussions.
A delegate representing South Africa’s twins body praised Zimbabwe’s leadership in organizing the summit and facilitating essential regional dialogue.
”We come back to Harare every year because this is where the real work happens — the networking, the honest conversations about what our families go through,” she said.
Beyond legislative and health discussions, the conference served as a platform for governance and capacity-building workshops for regional associations, as well as a cultural showcase recontextualizing twin heritage into regional pride. Host nation Zimbabwe also utilized the event to promote its hospitality, tourism, and investment capabilities to visiting delegations.
Organizers confirmed that Harare will remain the permanent host city for the annual SADC Twins Association conference.
