About the WTM Cape Town Centre
The World Transformation Movement Cape Town Centre was founded by South African farmer James Moffett in 2017. It is the second WTM Centre to be established in Africa, following the creation of the WTM Zambia Centre earlier in 2017 by Zambian radio host and advertising director, Franklin Mukakanga.
Described as “a man like no other…quiet, soft spoken, and gentle…an unlikely revolutionary” (ref.), James Moffett is a world-renowned pioneer of organic farming in Africa. He is the founder of The Organic Milling Company, and a former Managing Director of the Organic Agricultural Association of South Africa and Chairperson of Spier Farms, part of South Africa's premier winery and hospitality organisation, Spier Wine Farm. James has travelled widely in Africa teaching the benefits of organic farming, and speaks English, Afrikaans and Sesotho.
James Moffett, founder of WTM Cape Town
Outlining his motivation for establishing the WTM Cape Town Centre, James said:
“While better farming practices are important, the plight of the human species is becoming so dire that it’s clear to me as someone who has spent a lifetime reading and thinking about our human situation that only the deeper reconciling understanding of human nature itself can save the day — and that is what we have in Jeremy Griffith’s explanation of the human condition.
I, like Jeremy, am an admirer of the writings of Sir Laurens van der Post (whose family I know and grew up near in South Africa), and Sir Laurens certainly spoke the truth when he wrote that ‘Man is dangerously unaware of himself. We really know nothing about the nature of man, and unless we hurry to get to know ourselves we are in dangerous trouble’ (Jung and the Story of Our Time). Precisely: we need to understand the human condition, which we now have in Jeremy’s book FREEDOM, and we need to promote its world-saving, transforming effects, which is the mission of the World Transformation Movement.”
In 2019 John Mulder’s understanding and support of the work of the WTM developed to such an extent that he became a prominent member of the WTM Cape Town Centre. John had a background in accountancy, which included becoming the CFO of an international group of companies. Following this, John focused on agro-ecological farming, and with his wife Yvette (BSc), ran a plant consulting and advisory business, and also helped establish an experiential permaculture training farm in the Eastern Free State. Yvette continues to own their business Hermitage Herbs, and Hermitage Food & Medicine Nursery in Swellendam, which offers agro-ecological small-scale and urban farming assistance.
The late John Mulder, of the WTM Cape Town Centre
Explaining his reason for joining the WTM Cape Town Centre, John said that the world’s approach to problems has been “trying to do the same thing, over and over, without real hope that we would get a different result, evidenced by the endless turmoil and the war and all the conflict that goes on in the world around us…for the first time I believe that we have an alternative; the first and only alternative in fact. The endgame is here; and as a species we have to change, and it is possible, and there is certainly light at the end of the tunnel...The paradigm shift in my life as a result of the clear-daylight-truths coming from Jeremy’s research findings was profound. In short, life has never been this good for me.”
In Memoriam
Written by James Moffett
It is with heart-breaking sadness that I report the death of WTM Cape Town co-founder, close friend, fellow farmer and dear friend to many, John Mulder at age 79.
John and I met through our love and confusion of farming, and while our confusion has been cleared up, our love of farming and life has been set free, has grown beyond our wildest dreams with Jeremy’s explanation and this new world community's loving support, and continues to grow by the second and soars, forever.
John understood Jeremy’s explanation of the human condition with relative ease and he was able to reconcile his deeply held religious faith with Jeremy’s scientific explanation of the meaning of life, enabling him to fully and wholeheartedly support the WTM.
John who had a successful career in accounting and was the co-owner with his wife, Yvette of Hermitage Food and Medicine Nursery, had been furthering his interest in the work of the WTM and in 2019 John’s understanding and support of the work of the WTM became so developed that he became a prominent member of the WTM Cape Town Centre.
Explaining his reason for joining the Cape Town Centre, John said that the world’s approach to problems has been “trying to do the same thing, over and over, without real hope that we would get a different result, evidenced by the endless turmoil and the war and all the conflict that goes on in the world around us…for the first time I believe that we have an alternative; the first and only alternative in fact. The endgame is here; and as a species we have to change, and it is possible, and there is certainly light at the end of the tunnel...The paradigm shift in my life as a result of the clear-daylight-truths coming from Jeremy’s research findings was profound. In short, life has never been this good for me.”
In correspondence with Jeremy last year, John said he was in a wonderful, clear place in his mind with his ‘heart full’ of the meaning and peace Jeremy’s work had given him, that the “the great hunger for meaning [referring to van der Post’s quote in Our Meaning] has truly been satisfied”, and that he felt like Simeon from The Bible who said he has seen salvation when he held Christ the child in his arms, so he loved our project so much and was untouchable in his spirit. As the WTM Sydney Founding Members said to Yvette, John’s exceptional strength and love was such a special friend and help to our project and WTM family and will be with us and inspire us and the whole of humanity forever more, which this beautiful text Jeremy wrote to John when he heard of his passing expresses so perfectly: “Well John, you’re coming with us every step of the way and bit by bit we’re gonna fix this world up and it’s gonna be soooooooo exciting, everyone’s going to be hoppin and boppin and huggin and laughin and swirlin and twirlin, no really it’s gonna catch on at some stage that we’re actually free and just imagine the relief that’s going to bring. When we’re walking down the street, and you’ll be with us, everyone we pass will be smiling and happy, I mean people are going to be so happy they are just gonna stop everyone they pass and hug them and hug them, it’s just gonna be so good when this catches on, everyone won’t be able to stop smiling, well everyone will be crying with happiness that we’re free at last, and you helped us and helped us and helped us, so thank you from all the people in the future, love you so much John and so wonderful to have you with us all the time, all the time, Jeremy".
In his book A Species In Denial, Jeremy writes about this stage of life and quotes Sir Laurens van der Post. I read this profound section again, finding deep solace and meaning and thought it fitting at this time of both sadness and happiness:
“Now that it is possible to understand the human condition, understand that humans were actually good and not bad, were indeed part of ‘God’s’ great plan—a profound part of the development of order of matter on Earth—it can be understood that all human effort since time immemorial has been meaningful. Humans can now understand that each and every human life is extraordinarily significant and that their efforts on Earth, the real essence of their being, do carry on and endure. The spirit of humans, the enormous courage that they have exhibited on the journey to enlightenment through the incredible darkness, loneliness and hardship of having to live in denial, lives on in each of us and is carried on in all subsequent generations … Sir Laurens van der Post described how humans carry on in an even greater way after their physical death when he wrote: ‘We make a great mistake when we think that people whose lives have been intimately woven into our own, cease to influence us when they die…The dead become part of the dynamics of our spirit, of the basic symbolism of our minds. They join the infinite ranks of the past, as vast as the hosts of the future, and so much greater than our own little huddle of people in the present’ (The Face Beside the Fire, 1953, p.63 of 311)."
John was an exceptional man and special friend to us all and our project. John’s great strength and love helped us so much and will be with us and inspire us and the whole of humanity forever more.
John was a very talented artist and this is a recent photo of him with some of his paintings, holding his precious copy of FREEDOM.
