Mathabane was born in Alexandra, South Africa, an area that is a part of Johannesburg, the capital of the province of Gauteng.
[8] These living conditions lacked the modern commodities of paved roads, electricity,[5] and even sewer systems.
[9] Mathabane has credited his illiterate mother with encouraging him to excel in education and to escape the confinements of apartheid South Africa.
[8] Mathabane met Smith in 1977 at the South African Championship tennis tournament in Johannesburg.
[6] In 1978, with the aid of Smith, Mathabane moved to the United States and started attending Limestone College in South Carolina.
[6] Kaffir Boy illustrated his prior life in apartheid South Africa, and became a national best-seller.
Mathabane had his first visit to the White House in 1993 after being invited by President Bill Clinton, who had read Kaffir Boy.
[5] From 1992–1993, Mathabane served as a White House Fellow under US President Bill Clinton, and assisted him with his educational policies.
[11] As stated on Mathabane's website, the fund's mission is to "create hope in an impoverished, bleak part of the world by providing scholarships, books, uniforms and school supplies for needy children attending Bovet Primary School in Alexandra Township, South Africa.
[8] Kaffir Boy has also won a Christopher Award, has been translated into several different languages, and is also used in many American classrooms.
[8] Mathabane's second book Kaffir Boy in America: An Encounter with Apartheid was also his second autobiography, and was published in 1989.
[8] Love in Black and White examined Mark and Gail's interracial relationship, and the obstacles that they faced.
[8] African Women tells the true story of the struggles of Mathabane's grandmother, mother, and sister in South Africa.
[14] The Proud Liberal is a modern-day thriller, which deals with controversial issues such as terrorism, racism, and intolerance in America.