[1] Kotane was born in Pella in Maphusumaneng Section, Transvaal (now North West) to a devout Christian family of Batswana origins.

As a promising young party member, Kotane was sent to Moscow to study Marxism-Leninism at the International Lenin School.

In Moscow, Kotane studied under Endre Sík, 1967 recipient of the Lenin Peace Prize and other Marxist theorists.

Kotane was a well-respected member of the struggle for majority rule in South Africa by even non-communist leaders.

With the African National Congress, Kotane served as Treasurer General from 1963 to 1973 when he was replaced by Thomas Nkobi.

[4] Kotane, representing the Communist Party, attended the 1955 Asian-African Conference in Bandung, Indonesia.