Cape Town, South Africa – A growing community of people seeking healthier, alcohol-free lifestyles gathered along the Sea Point Promenade on Saturday morning as Soberplug hosted Cape Town’s first sober wellness walk and seaside yoga session. The event, led by Soberplug founder Thandokazi Ntshinga, brought together more than 25 participants for two hours of movement, mindfulness, and open conversation around sobriety.
The wellness experience, held from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., began at Love Matcha inside Mojo Market on Regent Road, where attendees collected matcha drinks and event tags before enjoying a selection of complimentary kombucha from Happy Culture. After socialising over the drinks, the group set off on a 3 km walk towards Clifton 2nd Beach. The initiative was created to offer a safe, nature-based space for people choosing sobriety or seeking a supportive wellness community.
Ntshinga said she introduced the session to Cape Town because she wanted to bring focus to mental well-being and create spaces where socialising does not depend on alcohol. “So, the first question, what inspired you to bring the exercise to Cape Town? So, I wanted to emphasise to us that mental health is very important and we are allowed to do it. And also, yoga allows us to bring ourselves to ourselves. So, it focuses more on the mind. So, that’s the reason that I tried it,” she explained when asked about her motivation for hosting the event.
The yoga portion of the morning was led by Bongeka Qhanga, a music teacher, coach, yoga facilitator, and founder of Ubukho Institute. She guided participants through a gentle, beginner-friendly practice on the sand at Clifton 2nd Beach.
Qhanga said she was moved by the attitude and openness of the attendees. “I was the yoga instructor in today’s event, and I received feedback from that. Since most of the participants were first-time yoga students or practising yoga for the first time, I was amazed by how they allowed themselves to practice without judging themselves or the practice. And also, I really enjoyed teaching that group because they were willing. They were listening to the instructions, and they moved their body like they allowed themselves to really dive in deep into the practice,” she said.
She added that the turnout created an encouraging atmosphere. “I also liked how people showed up. People came out. I think we had about 20 more than 25 people there. So, it was for me… I enjoyed seeing people having fun and just taking care of their well-being.”
One attendee, Lelethu, said the gathering arrived at a time when she was struggling with her mental health. “being part of such a real, authentic community felt great and so unreal. The worst part is I’m going through such a horrible situation that’s messing up my mental health, but yesterday’s event has shifted my mindset and has me being optimistic about my situation now. I’m beyond grateful for making that decision to join, and the connections we’ve built with such amazing people were a top tier,” she said.
She added that the experience inspired others who saw the content shared from the event. “I wish such movements and more could happen frequently, and from the content we created I now have many people interested to be also part of the community. Thanks to all of you for such an incredible initiative.”
Ntshinga said the gathering attracted 17 confirmed attendees, though the initial registrations had been higher. She explained that the purpose of the walk and yoga was to normalise alcohol-free socialising and provide those in recovery with activities that reinforce positive lifestyle choices. “The main purpose for gathering is to do social gatherings that do not include alcohol to normalise it,” she said.
She said Sea Point was chosen for its safety, open space, and natural surroundings, which aligned with the calming environment she hoped to create. She added that the event fits neatly within Soberplug’s mission of building supportive sober communities. “This session emphasises a sober life, that there’s so much that you can do out of drinking, but most people do not have a community. So, that’s why I started a sober community to show people there are some activities that we can do,” she explained.
On how yoga supports sobriety, she said it helps settle the mind and body. “Yoga is actually good for the mind. It really… the mind, it relaxes the body. I did not do it, but then I have an instructor from Ubukho Institute. Her name is Bongeka. She was our yoga instructor. She has experience with it. So, it was easy for the first time as it was not difficult.”
Ntshinga said she hoped participants walked away with a sense of self-responsibility and emotional awareness. “Just to know that you are in control of your emotion and everything. So, it’s your responsibility for you to have a better life.”
She reflected on the challenges many people in recovery face, including pressure from social settings and weekend drinking culture. “Well, the urge of wanting to drink sometimes because some people could be surrounded by drinkers. So, they find it a bit challenging. Also, the weekend can be overwhelming,” she said.
She noted that safe spaces like Soberplug events help remind people that they are not alone. “Well, to show people that, you know what, you are not alone. There’s so many of us, but then it’s just that people are not comfortable to talk about it,” she said.
Ntshinga said she plans to expand Soberplug’s reach beyond Cape Town. “Okay, I’m actually planning to go worldwide. Go big. Just to show people, especially people who are super curious, that was going to be January, and people will be looking forward to starting a new life to be sober.”
She said more events, virtual meet-ups, and bi-weekly sessions featuring mental-health experts are already in the pipeline. “The future for this is to emphasise that these lives are sort of drinking and also educating people about alcohol, because I feel like people are not informed about alcohol and how dangerous it is. What they can expect from us is so many events that are coming, and we will be doing virtual meetups. We will do biweekly meetings where we invite maybe mental-health experts who can speak to us, and maybe have someone from the health department who can explain everything.”
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