Ray Hartley earned a postgraduate honors degree from Rhodes University, focusing on African politics and journalism. A former anti-apartheid activist, he served on the executive of the National Union of South African Students and worked with the Human Awareness Programme, an NGO supporting activists. He later contributed as an administrator during the Codesa negotiations that ended apartheid. As a journalist, Hartley covered Nelson Mandela’s presidency, edited prominent South African publications, and reported extensively on the country’s democratic transition. He is the author of books including Ragged Glory: The Rainbow Nation in Black and White and Ramaphosa: The Man Who Would Be King.