Thabo Mbeki Foundation and WDB Trust unite to create new Africa-focused institution

COLOMBO (News1st); The Thabo Mbeki Foundation and the WDB Trust have consolidated to form the Thabo and Zanele Mbeki Foundation (TZMF), bringing together the Foundation’s continental policy and intellectual work with more than three decades of women-led community development.

The consolidation follows resolutions and Deeds of Amendment signed by the respective Boards and Trustees in July 2026. The changes renamed the Thabo Mbeki Foundation Trust as the Thabo and Zanele Mbeki Foundation and reconstituted the WDB Trust as the WDB Endowment Trust (WDB-ET).

Under the new structure, the TZMF will operate as the mission-driven and public-facing institution. The WDB-ET will serve as the endowment and capital steward, providing sustainable funding to the Foundation in line with its mandate.

The legal restructuring has taken effect, while 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 Day One planned for 1 March 2027.

The consolidation is intended to preserve and strengthen the legacies of both institutions rather than dissolve or absorb either one.

Combining ideas, implementation and policy influence. The Thabo Mbeki Foundation contributes a continental mandate encompassing 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, enterprise support and practical delivery.

Together, the institutions aim to create an impact chain linking ideas and dialogue with implementation, evidence and policy influence.

The African Renaissance will remain the overarching framework of the consolidated institution, while women-led development will be one of its defining features.

Gloria Serobe, Chairperson of the WDB Trust, said the consolidation would place women’s leadership at the centre of the institution’s future while giving both legacies a wider platform.

“Bringing that experience together with the Thabo Mbeki Foundation’s continental platform is a natural next step,” Serobe said. “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.”

Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi, Chairperson of the Thabo Mbeki Foundation, said the new institution would connect continental thought leadership with decades of community experience.

“The TZMF will be able to move across the full chain from ideas and dialogue to implementation, evidence and policy influence,” she said.