Reddy, who completed her undergraduate and honours degrees in criminology at the University, was recognised in the Law and Justice category.
‘I see this honour as a call to become more actively involved in not only criminal justice initiatives, but also initiatives that motivate and assist the youth of South Africa in activating and honing their skills – whatever that skill may be. Each person has a unique skill and thus has the potential to make a tangible difference in society,’ she said.
Reddy added that the robust yet diverse curriculum offered at UKZN, great support from her lecturers and the motivation to pursue post-graduate studies helped to shape who she is today as an academic and researcher.
Offering advice to students, she said, ‘Get involved in multidisciplinary research projects if possible. Approach your own research and studies from a multidisciplinary perspective – this is a critical skill and mind-set in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. More importantly, do not aim to pass, aim for excellence!’
Reddy is currently a lecturer in the Department of Criminology & Security Science, School of Criminal Justice, College of Law at UNISA where she teaches the modules: Advanced Corporate Investigations and Advanced Security Risk Management.
She served as Director of Research for the Association of Certified Compliance Professionals in Africa (ACCPA) from 2015 – 2017. Reddy has presented on cybercrime, the criminogenic risks of cryptocurrency, money laundering and cryptocurrency regulation at conferences and roundtable discussions in Kenya, Greece, Ghana, Cote D’ Voire and the United States.
She started her career as a forensics trainee at the law firm ENSAfrica and thereafter moved over to Qhubeka Forensics as a forensics investigator but realised that academia was the space she wanted to be in. ‘The experience I gained in forensics has proved to be invaluable. I have incorporated the skills I acquired into the investigation module I teach, thus adding practice to the theory.’
Reddy is pursuing a PhD in Mercantile Law at the University of the Western Cape with a thesis on the regulation of cryptocurrencies.
She is also a member of UNISA’s Women in Research project, which focuses on the role of women in criminal justice, and the Lekgotla La Batho project which looks at how customary law can be used in lieu of conventional judicial processes in rural areas.
Her other areas of research include the legal validity of network surveillance techniques and the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in criminal justice processes.
