Michèle Schiess
Over a 15 year career in the Film and TV production industry Michèle climbed from secretary to producer by the time she retired from production in 2008. Notable was the
Department of Health Khomanani Campaign in 2002 where she managed a budget of six million Rand as head of the AIDS Media Unit for Public Service Announcements for TV, radio and print. She is well versed in logistics. The incongruities between the media industry and the real world led her to co-found the Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) Sing
4 Life, which enjoyed some successes in raising funds for HIV and AIDS projects and programmes. Her observations of how poor nutrition and food insecurity exacerbated
social problems and incidence of AIDS led to her to re-orientate Sing 4 Life, focused on active involvement in implementing food-gardens in urban (township) settings.
While working in this field, Michèle and Thomas met, and re-branded the NPO to form the Sustainable Community Development (SCD). They have formed a strong team with a vision to change the face of agriculture in SA and have been in planning for many years and developing the best-practice model on Waaipoort since 2015. Michèle holds a Permaculture Design Certificate ( PDC) and is the fundraiser, co-administrator of SCD
and is in charge of hospitality on Waaipoort. She serves as director on SCD and trustee of
 he Regenerative Agroecological Agriculture Land Trust (RAALT).

Meisha Mulla
Qualified and working in the maritime industry, as a seafarer Meisha served as ajunior navigating officer, before working ashore as a ship’s agent and later as a cargo surveyor. Meisha then undertook further specialised training into teaching, coaching and mentoring and fulfilled various roles in the skills development industry. He worked
for 14 years in a freelance capacity with various corporate clients and skills development service providers. Searching for an emphasis on community and mutual benefit, he
joined Waaipoort Farm in 2018. Meisha works on curriculum development and fulfils the health
and safety roles on Waaipoort. Furthermore he heads up animal fencing and operations
for the holistic planned grazing plan, which is fundamental in regenerative agriculture.
He is a past director of SCD and a trustee on the Regenerative Agroecological Agriculture Land Trust (RAALT).

Thomas Linders
Thomas has a diploma in Curative Education (Switzerland) and has worked with Organic and Biodynamic Agriculture all his life, since 1981 in a teaching/tutoring capacity as well. He has two Permaculture Design Certificates and has used and taught Permaculture since 1997. Through his experience with numerous Household Food Security Programs, small-scale agriculture training programs with government and NGO’s as well as consultations to private individuals, farms and companies in sustainable ‘green’ practices, he has the expertise and drive to help develop best practice models that will teach and pass on this wealth of knowledge and practical experience. Thomas has a deep love for nature – water and the rehabilitation and enlivening of polluted waters are his passion. He is recognised by the International Secretariat for Water (ISW), Montreal (Canada) as one of The Water Sages - an international expert in this field. Throughout his work Thomas recognises the importance of his silent colleagues, the microbes and other flora and fauna. He is one of South Africa’s leading practitioners using Effective Microorganisms in his work. Thomas co-initiated the Rosendal Permaculture Centre at Waaipoort Farm and lives and works there.

Honest Moyo
Honest Moyo originally hails from Malawi and has been living at Waaipoort Farm since 2005 and is a valuable and constant member of the farm team. He is an all-rounder in the garden, the fields and skilled in our building projects as well.

Volunteers 
We have been blessed with a constant stream of volunteers from all over the world. Some stay for a week or two; others for months and some come back over and over again and have become part of the family, weaving the fabric that is becoming Waaipoort Farm Climate Park.

Mafusi Molefi
With a BA (Hons) in Development Studies, Mafusi has been deeply interested in development theories and concepts, which could improve the conditions in her home country of Lesotho. This led her to Permaculture and Agroecology. She worked as a teacher at a rural Lesotho school, but wishing to make a bigger impact, she left the primary school to pursue a life of activism in the small-holder food growing field. As an independent practitioner she has spear-headed school food gardens in her own and some surrounding villages. HIV and AIDS are major issues in her village and she is empowering her village and other communities to grow their own health-enhancing foods. Mafusi has been a frequent volunteer at Waaipoort Farm Climate Park, and is now a permanent member, assisting with school curriculum development and food security outreach in Rosendal/Mautse.

Bjørn Heyerdahl
​Bjørn is an active explorer, environmentalist, Biospheric designer, internationally renowned speaker and consultant on humanitarian, environmental and development issues, with vast corporate and human development experience. Bjørn is an explorer’s club member and the recipient of a silver medal from Mikhail Gorbachev at the 10th anniversary Green Cross international at the United Nations in Geneva, for an outstanding contribution to environmental issues and global consciousness. Bjorn launched the Midgard expedition for sustainable development internationally at the explorers club in New York in 2003 Bjørn was invited to speak at the Lowell Thomas annual dinner at the united nations in New York on 25th October 2003, on “the future of exploration – a global challenge”, where he was awarded the Lowell Thomas Gold Medal by the Rolex Watch Company for his contribution to the future of scientific exploration.