By Brooke-Lee Jaftha
Sonop Ladies Residence hosted their first First Thursday Market of the year on 5 March 2026. It was a marvelous night filled with music, food, clothes and the smiles of the ladies in yellow.
Sonop tries to host this market on the first Thursday of each month throughout the year. The main goal of the market is to foster community, as well as to help develop each Sonopper’s entrepreneurial skills, says Catrien Müller (third-year BA (Language and Culture) student in Sonop). The market helps raise funds for the residence’s Senior Committee. These funds help them to organise their annual Senior’s Dance and other senior-related events that will take place later in the year.
Müller says, “The market does take a lot of time to prepare and to advertise.” Despite the effort it takes, the market was successful and sent home many happy customers.
There was a variety of options to choose from at the market. There were tasty treat stalls that featured an array of options. There were also stalls selling thrift clothes (a favorite among Stellenbosch students) and eye-catching room décor. Students from all over campus were welcomed to enjoy the lovely atmosphere which was filled with laughter and smiles.
Kiara Patel (first-year BAccLLB student in Sonop) says it was good to see how many people were interested in the market, where she had her own henna stall.
The market also had live music in front of Sonop. The part most first-years enjoyed was the sokkie. Whether you had two left feet or not, it was a great opportunity for socialising and meeting new people.
Make sure to keep an eye out for the next Sonop Thursday Market.
