Little is known of his background except that he spoke Xhosa. When Clements Kadalie began to build the Industrial Commercial Workers Union (ICU) in Natal in 1924, he appointed Maduna provincial secretary on the recommendation of J. T. Gumede. A. W. G. Champion later assumed the ICU leadership in Natal, and Maduna became provincial secretary for the Orange Free State. When the ICU split in 1929, Maduna remained loyal to Kadalie and acted as his chief lieutenant during the East London general strike of 1930.
