The Thabo Mbeki Foundation and the WDB Trust have consolidated into a single institution, the Thabo and Zanele Mbeki Foundation (TZMF), combining the foundation’s continental policy work with more than three decades of women-led community development in South Africa.
The consolidation follows resolutions and Deeds of Amendment signed by the respective boards and trustees in July 2026. The Thabo Mbeki Foundation Trust has been renamed the Thabo and Zanele Mbeki Foundation, while the WDB Trust has been reconstituted as the WDB Endowment Trust (WDB-ET).
How the new structure works
Under the arrangement, the TZMF will operate as the mission-driven, public-facing institution. The WDB-ET will act as endowment and capital steward, providing sustainable funding to the foundation in line with its mandate.
The legal restructuring has taken effect. Regulatory, tax, governance and operational integration will continue in phases. The new identity is expected to be formally introduced at a public launch in November 2026, with full operations — described as “Day One” — planned for 1 March 2027.
The organisations said the consolidation is intended to preserve and strengthen both legacies rather than dissolve or absorb either one. The African Renaissance will remain the overarching framework of the combined institution, with women-led development as a defining feature.
What each side brings
The Thabo Mbeki Foundation contributes a continental mandate spanning intellectual leadership, policy work, research, heritage, leadership development and convening platforms. The WDB Trust brings more than 35 years of women-led development, community institution-building, financial inclusion and enterprise support.
Gloria Serobe, Chairperson of the WDB Trust, said bringing that experience together with the foundation’s continental platform was “a natural next step.”
“It does not set either legacy aside. It gives both a wider platform and keeps women’s leadership at the heart of what comes next,” she said.
Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, Chairperson of the Thabo Mbeki Foundation, said the new institution would be able “to move across the full chain from ideas and dialogue to implementation, evidence and policy influence.”
Thabo Mbeki served as President of South Africa from 1999 to 2008.
