Formal special education in many southern African countries can be traced back to the early Christian missionary activities in the region. Like elsewhere in the world, the development of special education in this region has been marked with both challenges and accomplishments. The challenges and barriers to the development of special education in the region have been well documented. In fact, they have been so well documented that they have eclipsed whatever achievements the African countries have made thereby creating a negative portrayal of the state of special education in the region. However, in spite of the challenges some African countries have registered many positive developments in the areas of legislation, funding, teacher preparation, inclusive education, and attitudes towards disabilities, among others. The purpose of this discussion was therefore, to highlight the achievements made by Zambia and Zimbabwe and encourage the African countries to continue building on the accomplishments.