Meet Mthulisi Moyo, the Man Behind Wood Affair Events.

1. In your own words, who would you describe Mthulisi Moyo as?

Mthulisi Moyo: I would say I’m a very easygoing person, goal oriented and cheerful individual. I am also passionate about development work hence my career path is more on the Humanitarian side.

2. How did you come to start the Wood Affair business?

Mthulisi Moyo: It was a time in my life I found myself jobless and very idle after a long spell of enjoying employment. I knew I had to start something that would keep me and my family going. I started by working closely with a friend of mine called Ozy who is into furniture business. I was more into the minimalist rustic stuff as compared to his usual line of Teak furniture. I still found myself wanting to do more than just furniture but something that would let me express my artsy side. This is when I came up with the idea of hosting picnics, which had a flair of rustic pieces. Along the way I met my business partner called Christine (SA based) who liked what I was doing so we decided to work together in growing Wood Affair.

3. Why pallets?

Mthulisi Moyo: I’m a huge fan of rustic furniture and most of the furniture is done using pallets. Pallets can virtually be turned to amazing pieces.

4. Did you have a carpenting background?

Mthulisi Moyo: No! However my family from my moms side are carpenters, I guess I was born with a passion for wood.

5. What’s the most exquisite piece of furniture that you have ever made at Wood Affair?

Mthulisi Moyo: That’s an interesting question……I’m caught up between a TV stand and a Wine rack.

6. From just making pallet furniture, how have you diversified?

Mthulisi Moyo: We have ventured into The Decor and design aspect which is basically event decor and setup. So basically Wood affair has a decor and rustic furniture element. We have done décor for Weddings, Lobola, Dinner and Birthday celebrations.

7. Which event has been your favourite to set up for?

Mthulisi Moyo: I enjoy most events we do. We have worked with diverse and interesting individuals to organisation. We have worked with Soul Cook Out, The Pichani hosted by Gilmore T, Munch & Sip. The most favorite would have to be The EU Film festival.

8. We heard a rumor about outdoor movies being in the pipeline?

Mthulisi Moyo: Oh yes. We actually held our first movie night at the beginning of the year at The Barn. We were in the process of hosting the second Movie Night before Covid-19.

9. When a client wants to hire your services, what’s the procedure?

Mthulisi Moyo: We have various packages on offer so we first discuss with the client on theme and design. Most clients usually pick from the previous designs we have done and improve on those.

10. How are you coping during this lockdown as a small business?

It has been hard. Business has become so low with the Covid pandemic. Its difficult to engage with clients, we are longer able to host some of the events we had anticipated. Even on the furniture side things are slow probably because of the current situation we are in.

11. Are your services available during the lockdown and what precautionary measures are in place?

Mthulisi Moyo: We have recently started doing Picnic setups for limited crowds on not more than 15. We try to minimize contact with clients, we setup and leave. When collecting we sanitize and wash all equipment before storing it away.

https://twitter.com/woodaffair/status/1283643866252337152

“We would like to thank all the clients who have supported us along this journey. My friends and family a big thank you for the endless support. To our future clients we are waiting to give you the best experience. We hope when the situation gets better we will host. The Big Picnic” and continue with our Outdoor Movies.”

Mthulisi Moyo of Wood Affair Events