Vivian Reddy

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.

Early life and career Reddy was born on 22 February 1953 in Greenwood Park, a suburb of Durban. 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. 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.

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

Philanthropy Reddy is involved in several South African charity initiatives such as the Orphans of AIDS Trust Fund. He has donated substantially to various community projects such the Wingen Heights Secondary School building project 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, 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".

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.

Honours

Reddy has achieved the following awards: 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