WIPHOLD’s very existence and day-to-day operations are dedicated to one purpose: the sustainable economic empowerment of black women through strategic investments and strong shareholder returns.
To many organisations, this type of activity is considered ‘corporate social responsibility’. To us, it is our sole purpose and has informed every decision we make from the type of investments we make to the structure and shareholding of the group.
From the very outset, WIPHOLD’s founders identified the powerful social impact that could be achieved by focusing all our efforts on creating value that could be used to empower black women across the country.
This vision is encapsulated in our mission to:
From humble beginnings with seed capital of only R500,000 WIPHOLD today commands an investment portfolio valued at more than R2-billion. The true measure of our success, however, lies in the more than R865-million distributed to shareholders and beneficiaries in our 27 years of operation.
Our unique model that established black women as direct and indirect shareholders of the group through the creation of the WIPHOLD Investment Trust and WIPHOLD NGO Trust (which jointly hold 33.2% of the group) has been instrumental in delivering on our empowerment philosophy.
Through these two entities, we make an impact daily on beneficiaries across all nine provinces in South Africa. These beneficiaries include designated groups, youth and disabled members of society.
The WIPHOLD Investment Trust has more than 1,200 direct and 18,000 indirect women beneficiaries. The Trust is a 14.8% shareholder in WIPHOLD, with distributions to beneficiaries flowing from dividends as a result of this stake in WIPHOLD.
Beneficiaries receive 80% of each distribution, with the remainder donated to NGOs that benefit women and children. Since its inception in 1997, the Trust has distributed just over R147-million to the direct women beneficiaries and just over R36-million to various NGOs.
Should you know of a beneficiary who has passed away please request that her estate’s executor/s or family members contact our Trust administrator, Ms Stompie Tshesane on the details below. There are still a large number of beneficiaries of the Trust, whose current addresses are unknown. If you do know any of these missing beneficiaries, please contact Ms Tshesane giving her any details you have to enable her to make contact with the missing beneficiaries. All changes in beneficiary details should be forwarded to Ms Tshesane via mail to PO Box 87277 Houghton 2041; email to stshesane@wiphold.com and telephone on 011 715 3577
The WIPHOLD NGO Trust, with an 18.4% shareholding in WIPHOLD, is a powerful instrument that enables the group to touch the lives of more than 200 000 black women through the various non-governmental organisations that make up the trust’s indirect beneficiaries. The beneficiary organisations are: DENOSA, SASBO, National Baptist Church, Kwa Drabo Trust,
POWA, Tshwaranang Legal Advocacy Centre, Tshepang Educare Trust, SA Council of Churches, Thandanani Children’s Foundation and the Archbishop TC Makgoba Development Trust. More than R85-million has flowed to these organisations from WIPHOLD’s investment activities.
WIPHOLD firmly supports the wisdom expressed by former President Nelson Mandela when he said: "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world".
WIPHOLD therefore established the Women Development Trust Fund to provide financial assistance to black women and men from disadvantaged schools so that they could pursue a tertiary qualification.
The bursary, which covers the student's tuition fees, textbooks, accommodation and a monthly stipend, is open to young South Africans studying B Com Accounting (for qualification as a Chartered Accountant), Actuarial Sciences, Agriculture or Engineering.
The students are selected mainly on the basis of their academic achievement but consideration is also given to how they participated in their school community.
Download Our Bursary Form Here
WIPHOLD is a proud sponsor of Mokgadi Caster Semenya, the South African middle-distance runner and world champion, who won gold in the women's 800m at the 2016 Rio Olympics, silver at the 2012 London Olympics, and gold in the women's 800m at the 2009 World Championships.
She is WIPHOLD's official brand ambassador and WIPHOLD has been sponsoring the world champ since October 2010.
The Lesotho-based Mophuthi Matsoso Development Trust, fully funded by WIPHOLD, was established to uplift rural communities across the country towards self-reliance. Through its emphasis on education empowerment and agriculture, the Trust focuses on women and children as they are the most vulnerable members of the society.
Since 2009 the Trust has run a feeding scheme for vulnerable communities to address the challenge of the high number of orphans and destitute elders due to the scourge of HIV in Lesotho. Through the scheme, around 200 orphans and elders are fed around the areas of Makhemeng and Mokhotlong.
Also in 2009, the Trust established a farming project with Mamolapo farmers with the goal of fighting hunger. It collaborates with local farmers who have land but none of the necessary resources such as farming equipment and machinery; seeds and fertilizer; and diesel. More than 70 families have been assisted through the programme leading to the cultivation of around 900ha of farmland.
The Trust’s flagship education project has substantially improved learning facilities in rural villages within T'sakholo and Thaba Pechela in the district of Mafeteng, which is home to more than 178 000 people. As part of the project, the Trust has transformed the quality of education for these communities by building 21 classrooms; 15 toilets; libraries; computer labs; administration offices; and a cafeteria. It has also provided electricity and sewerage infrastructure.
WIPHOLD has for a number of years been a proud sponsor of the Khulisani Foundation, particularly its Campaign for Girls project, and more recently its Khulisani Agri-academy.
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In 2020 & 2021, Wiphold sponsored bursaries for 64 Sacred Heart Secondary School Grade 12 students to enable them to board during the Covid pandemic. This sponsorship provided the girls with a fighting chance to succeed and pass Grade 12.
As an active demonstration of our conviction of the importance of education and supporting the aspirations of South Africa’s youth, WIPHOLD hosts regular career awareness workshops at high schools around the country, targeting mainly rural schools. We have partnered with our investee companies and other organisations such as South African Airways, Air Traffic and Navigation Services, South African Women in Aviation and the Mlambo Foundation to provide a broad scope and areas of interest to the children.
WIPHOLD is especially focused on introducing learners to careers within the science and technology fields, which have traditionally been beyond the reach of many black learners.