Mashudu Jonathan Mudau was born on 1 January 1953 at Mbaleni, Northern Transvaal (now Limpopo). He started his schooling at Makwarela Primary and passed standard 6 (Grade 8) in 1976. He then went to Makarela Secondary School where his political conscientiousness was shaped after becoming a member of South African Students Movement (SASM) during the 1976 uprisings.