Ruby Francisco Mathang first served as a councillor in Johannesburg in 1994, and has served on its mayoral committee since 2006.

A QUALIFIED town planner with a BSc in urban and regional planning from the University of the Witwatersrand, he is responsible for the portfolio of economic development. He was moved to this portfolio after serving as the mayoral committee member for development planning and urban management when Executive Mayor Parks Tau reshuffled his committee in June 2012.

Born in Orlando East in 1959, Mathang started his political activities as a Soweto student representative at Selelekela Senior Secondary during the resistance to Bantu education in 1976.

From 1983 to 1985, he was a shop steward for the Chemical Industrial Workers Union (CIWU) at Cerachem in Johannesburg. He became the chairperson of the Molapo branch of the South African Youth Congress, which he served from 1984 to 1986. During this period, he was active in the various campaigns of the United Democratic Front (UDF). He also chaired the Molapo branch of the South African Civics Association (Sanco) and later the Orlando East branch, from 1987 to 1990, when he moved back to the area.

In 1994, he joined the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) as a board member and was later promoted to chairperson. In 1997, he became a member of the national executive committee of the sub-region, covering South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Following the 1994 national democratic elections, he became a councillor and chaired the planning portfolio of the Northern Metropolitan Local Council (NMLC) from 1995 to 2000. He also did a stint as chairperson of the Planning Tribunal in 2001. He was the ANC Orlando East chairperson in Soweto from 1990 to 1996, and the deputy chairperson from 2001 to date. He was zonal secretary from 1997 to 2000, and a Regional Executive Committee member from 2001 to 2003. Mathang has also been in the South African National Civics Association (Sanco) leadership since 1994.

He has served on various planning committees in local government for a considerable period of time, and is currently pursuing his Master's degree in development planning. In addition to his leadership role in the Johannesburg administration, he serves his community across a wide front – as a member of the Greater Orlando Community Policing Forum, a member of the Joburg Aids Council, and a member of the South African Planning Institute.

Mathang is a resident of Region D, Soweto. He is married to Mpho and they have three children.