Although colonialism ended in Africa, coloniality persists in many sectors, including tourism. This study, therefore, employs a systematic review methodology to explore the role of community-based tourism (CBT) in promoting decoloniality in the tourism sectors of South Africa and Zimbabwe. The study analyses peer-reviewed journal articles from Google Scholar. The findings reveal that while some CBT projects have made strides in transferring some skills, promoting inclusivity, and local economic activities, thus supporting the decolonial agenda, these successes in achieving true decoloniality are often undermined by persistent colonial structures, such as poor management practices, commodification of culture, exclusion of women, and the limited transfer of management and technical skills to empower local communities to manage tourism ventures on their own. This is affecting the fulfilment of the CBT promises of social justice, empowerment, inclusivity, and sustainable development for historically and culturally disadvantaged communities. The study, therefore, recommends a holistic approach to CBT that emphasises genuine community participation and the transfer of management and technical skills, particularly to women and youth, so that they can manage tourism projects independently. Academic research is also needed to provide CBT guidelines and models that can help address manifestations of coloniality.