Vivian Reddy
Born
Vathasallum Reddy

(1953-02-22) 22 February 1953
Durban, Natal
Union of South Africa
Known forFounder of Edison Power Group
Political partyAfrican National Congress

Vathasallum "Vivian" Reddy (born 22 February 1953) is a South African businessman from KwaZulu-Natal. He is the founder and chairperson of the Edison Power Group, an electrical company, and he also has business interests in casinos, healthcare, financial services, and property development.[1]

Early life and career

Reddy was born on 22 February 1953 in Greenwood Park, a suburb of Durban.[2] He was designated as Indian under apartheid. His father was a teacher and he was the youngest of nine children. At the age of 16, he was selected to represent South Africa at a Boy Scout Jamboree in Japan, where he met Neil Armstrong, his adolescent hero.[3][2]

After finishing high school, Reddy enrolled at Springfield Training College, but he decided a fortnight later that he wanted to be an electrical engineer.[2] After he was fired from his engineering apprenticeship, he founded Reddy's Electrical, an electrical contracting firm;[2] he apparently began the firm with only a R500 loan and a borrowed bakkie.[3]

Business career

Reddy's Electrical was later renamed as Edison Power.[2] The company frequently did business with the state, including in a series of contracts for the procurement of smart electricity meters in the City of Johannesburg. An independent investigation concluded in November 2013 that there was no evidence of irregularities in a R1.25-billion contract between Edison Power and City Power.[4] However, a subsequent forensic investigation, commissioned by the City of Johannesburg in 2017, concluded that one of the related contracts was irregular and did not comply with "legislative and administrative" regulations.[5]

In 2019, Reddy was linked to corruption allegations which also implicated former Free State Premier Ace Magashule.[6][7]

Reddy is also known for his personal and business links to former President Jacob Zuma.[8][9] He joined Zuma's political party, the African National Congress, in 1990.[2]

Philanthropy

Reddy is involved in several South African charity initiatives such as the Orphans of AIDS Trust Fund.[10] He has donated substantially to various community projects such the Wingen Heights Secondary School building project[11] and donating R6 million to the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality to build a clinic. He treated the residents of Bayview, Chatsworth to a Diwali celebration in commemoration of 150 years of Indian settlement in South Africa since 1860.

Personal life

Reddy and his first wife, Mogi Naidoo, share three children, Yavini, a paediatrician, Shantan, and IT student Kuber. In 2003,[2] he married his second wife, Sorisha Naidoo, who is a media personality, actress, and cast member of The Real Housewives of Durban. They have two children together: a son, Saihil, and daughter, Kalina.[12] In 2021, following a dispute at the Press Ombudsman, the Daily Maverick published an official apology to Naidoo for "insinuating that she had married him [Reddy] for his money".[13]

For his 60th birthday in 2013, Reddy spent R10 million on an extravagant celebration at his home in Umhlanga with 150 close family, friends and prominent political figures.[14]

Honours

Reddy has achieved the following awards:[15][16]

  • 1992 Four Outstanding South Africans (FOYSA Award)
  • 1993 International Senate Award
  • 1993 Distinguished Service Award
  • 1993 South African Young Achiever Award
  • 1998 Rotary International – Paul Harris Community Service Award
  • 2003 Global Indian Entrepreneur of the Year Award
  • 2007 Voted the Most Admired Businessperson in KwaZulu-Natal
  • 2009 Award for Sustainable Contribution to Engineering and Business
  • 2011 Living Legend Award from City of Durban
  • 2012 Invited to Bill Clinton Global Initiative

References

  1. ↑ Greve, Natalie (21 June 2017). "Cementing an empire". Finweek. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Khoza, Amanda (12 October 2014). "Businessman and superstar". Witness. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  3. 1 2 "It's the Reddy Connection". The Star. 27 August 2003. Archived from the original on 29 September 2008.
  4. ↑ "Investigation clears City Power in awarding of R1.25bn tender". News24. 5 November 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  5. ↑ "Reddy's City Power deal 'irregular'". News24. 16 July 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  6. ↑ "Gangster State: Ace Magashule and Vivian Reddy". IndianSpice. April 2019. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  7. ↑ Myburgh, Pieter-Louis (1 April 2019). Gangster State: Unravelling Ace Magashule's Web of Capture. South Africa: Penguin Random House. pp. 160–. ISBN 978-1-77609-375-5.
  8. ↑ "Nkandla: Reddy an unapologetic benefactor". The Mail & Guardian. 23 November 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  9. ↑ "Zuma's sugar daddies jump ship". The Mail & Guardian. 1 December 2006. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  10. ↑ "Orphans of AIDS Trust Fund". IoL.
  11. ↑ "Vivian Reddy Contributes To Wingen Heights Secondary School – Vivian Reddy". Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  12. ↑ Maako, Keitumetse (23 February 2023). "RHOD's Sorisha Naidoo seals month of love with sweet birthday message to husband". News24. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  13. ↑ Davis, Rebecca (28 June 2021). "Tarina Patel, Sorisha Naidoo and Nonkanyiso Conco – The Real Housewives of State Capture". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  14. ↑ "Reddy's R10m birthday bash". IOL News. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  15. ↑ "Awards & Accolades – Vivian Reddy". Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  16. ↑ "Vivian Reddy Joins World Leaders at CGI to Initiate Change – Vivian Reddy". Retrieved 23 June 2020.
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