Tenacious giant in the field of soccer

Reddy’s refusal to compromise his principles is believed to have led to his death

RAMA Reddy was the undisputed “El Supremo” of soccer. A stickler for good governance, he played by the rules.

Reddy was an activist and pioneer who, along with George Thabe and Solomon “Stix” Morewa, worked on merging soccer across the racial divide.

His close friend, researcher, and sports-political journalist Marlan Padayachee, described him as having “a straight arrow approach, which made him the target of those who saw him as a thorn in the flesh”.

Some people, such as his brother Sonny, believe he was murdered, allegedly by a co-official.

Sonny said: “Some of my brother’s friends were traitors, who used his popularity to gain the limelight, and some were directly involved in his death. The SAPS and the prosecuting authority were working hand in hand to derail the process by protecting those who were responsible. The investigation was conducted by Sydenham police station, which has a long-standing history of corruption.”

He said Rama’s refusal to compromise his principles of transparency, accountability, honesty and social justice led to his death. Though the South African Football Association (Safa) had thrice wanted to posthumously bestow an award on his brother, the family felt it would serve no purpose.

Sonny said the organisation had blood on its hands for failing to take action or hold an inquiry even though his death was football related.

“The SAPS and the Justice Department compromised with the accused by denying Rama justice.”

Despite several attempts the Tribune Herald was unable to obtain comment from either the SAPS or the National Prosecuting Authority. It remains a cold case – a thorn in the flesh of the Reddy family.

Padayachee described Reddy as the only activist in a conservative, business-minded family. He socialised comfortably with both rich and poor.

He said Reddy was able to convince companies such as NCD Clover to buy into non-racial soccer.

“Companies like that were owned by Afrikaans farmers, yet he was able to persuade them.”

Reddy’s other passion was his work as an insurance agent.

Sonny said Reddy had been a football referee in the Durban Football Association, and was voted referee of the year when he was 18 years old. He was the manager of Kingston FC in Asherville; a communicator with Ramsamy of the South African Non-racial Olympic Committee and part of one of Ramsamy’s delegations into Africa.

He was general secretary of Southern Natal Soccer Board (and later its president), the president of the SA Soccer Federation and a member of the SA Council on Sport, the Asherville Ratepayers Association and the local ANC branch. Reddy assisted at the Mandela Welcome Home rally at Kings Park in 1990.

When apartheid ended, he represented SASF to unify football in Lusaka. He was a Safa executive member, chairperson of the Southern Kwazulu Natal Football Association and a member of the umgeni Road Temple.

Delving back to their youth, one picks up the threads of two contented boys. Over weekends, Sonny helped Reddy sell popcorn and peanuts at Kings Park and Kingsmead. The two spent happy hours fishing and camping at Ifafa Beach and Park Rynie; talking about grass-roots football and administration; playing together with Rosebank’s multiracial community; holidaying in Swaziland and helping plant vegetables in the family’s garden.

Later, Reddy worked for Tape Aids for the Blind. In due course he joined Southern Life as an insurance consultant.