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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]
Vivian Reddy | |
|---|---|
| Born | Vathasallum Reddy 22 February 1953 |
| Known for | Founder of Edison Power Group |
| Political party | African National Congress |
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]
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]
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.[citation needed] He treated the residents of Bayview, Chatsworth to a Diwali celebration in commemoration of 150 years of Indian settlement in South Africa since 1860.[citation needed]
Reddy and his first wife, Mogi Naidoo, share three children, Yavini, a paediatrician, Shantan, and IT student Kuber.[citation needed] 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]
 | This section may contain excessive or inappropriate references to self-published sources. (June 2023) |
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
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