This text is dedicated to one of the main leaders of these local collectives who, since the beginning of the 21st century, have been protesting against the poor living conditions of millions of South Africans. However, it invites us to leave the space of protest as such, so as to better explore the apparently more ordinary territories on its periphery. By re-inscribing the existence of this activist in some of the relationships, institutions and experiences that structure social life in poor and working-class neighborhoods, the aim is indeed to emphasize how much the relationship to ‘the community’ helps to better understand some of the springs of commitment in a ‘poor people’s movement’.