Mokhulwane Johannes Mathale was born on April 16th 1963 in the village of Phaahla Manoge in Sekhukhuneland. He was raised both at Phaahla Manoge and Penge due to constant migrant labour activities of his father. He attributes his disciplinarian personality and political maturity to part of his childhood spent with his mineworker father (Letuku Jim Mathale) in Penge.

In 1972 at the age of ten, Mokhulwane started his schooling at Phaahla Bantu School (the modern day Moletje Primary School). In 1980 he proceeded to the secondary level at Mokhine Secondary School where he completed his matric in 1986.

His impressive matric pass that earned him the post of a private teacher at Matsebong Senior Secondary School in the village of Dichueung in 1987.

Mathale, like many of his contemporaries, lGarrison Thamaga in Ga-Radingoana, Devet Monakedi in Ga-Mmela, Magomarele “Fred” Hlakudi in Mohlaletsi, Lesetja Seroka in Ga-Seroka, Nkwana Matsetse, George Nkadimeng, Yster Lepulana, Oupa Lesufi, Seporo “Jacky” Masemola and many more, led the Phaahla Manoge branch of Sekhukhuneland Youth Organisation (SEYO) which was aligned to United Democratic Front and the ANC’s underground structures.

In 1988, after raising tuition fees out of his temporary teaching wages, he enrolled at Sekhukhune College of Education in Lefalane.

There he became involved in student politics through South African National Student Congress (SANSCO) which was later merged with NUSAS to form South African Student Congress.

Between 1988 and 1989 he was elected Deputy President of Student Representative Council of Sekhukhune College of Education. He completed his secondary teachers diploma in 1990, the year Nelson Mandela was released from Robben Island.

In 1991 he joined the labour force as a qualified teacher at Lehutšwana High School. While teaching at Lehutšwana High School in Ga-Moretsele, Mathale served in the Mmashadi Unit of the South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu).

In 1998 Mathale rose to the ranks of a sub-regional treasurer and later deputy chairperson of the then Makhuduthamaga Sub-region (in the Ngwaritsi-Makhuduthamaga TLC arrangement). In the year 2000 he was elected the deputy chairperson of the current Makhuduthamaga sub-region and later the sub-regional secretary from 2006 to 2009.

In the year 2000 after the first local government elections, Mathale was elected the Ward Councilor of Ward 10 of Makhuduthamaga which included the villages of Dinotši, Madibaneng, Tšatane, Malegae, Sekele and Mapitsane. He consequently joined the Sekhukhune District Municipality as a representative of Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality until 2006.

Between 2002 and 2007, this father of three (a son and two daughters) remained a community leader, a husband, a father and a dedicated educator at Ramphelane Secondary School in Manganeng.

After the second local government elections on 01 March 2006, Mathale became a directly-elected councilor of the Sekhukhune District. In the year 2007, he was appointed as Member of the Mayoral Committee for Technical Services under former Executive Mayor Honourable Namane Dickson Masemola – the position he held until the third local government elections on the 18th of May 2011.

Mathale was sworn in as Chief Whip of the Council of Sekhukhune District Municipality on the 7th of June 2011