For Buhle Booi, the fight for land and housing begins with listening. Before campaigns are launched or policies challenged, he believes lasting change starts by helping people recognise their own power to organise, lead and demand justice.
Booi heads political organising and campaigns at Ndifuna Ukwazi, where he works alongside families, communities and social movements advocating for equitable access to land and housing. His role centres on strengthening grassroots leadership, building solidarity between communities facing similar struggles, and equipping residents with the knowledge and confidence to influence decisions that affect their lives. Currently completing a master's in education, he views learning as a tool for liberation rather than personal advancement. The late Yoliswa Dwane, co-founder of Equal Education, remains his greatest influence. Dwane challenged him to use education in the service of justice and to lead with what he called the "politics of love" — meeting injustice with courage, but never losing compassion. That lesson continues to guide Booi's work. In a society marked by inequality, he believes meaningful change is built not only through protest, but by nurturing leaders who can transform their own communities from within.