Premier Winde welcomes the appointment of the new Western Cape Police Ombudsman | Western Cape Government

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Premier Winde welcomes the appointment of the new Western Cape Police Ombudsman

13 August 2021

The Premier of the Western Cape, Alan Winde, welcomes the appointment of the new Western Cape Police Ombudsman, Major General Oswald Reddy.

This follows the tabling of his nomination for appointment at the Standing Committee for Community Safety on 29 July, where members of the Standing Committee agreed unanimously to his appointment.

The Premier of the Western Cape, Alan Winde, said: “I am glad that we have nominated Maj Gen Reddy for this position where he will provide important oversight over the South African Police Service (SAPS) on behalf of communities in the Western Cape.”

The office of the Western Cape Police Ombudsman was established through the Western Cape Community Safety Act which was assented to in April 2013 for the purpose of investigating complaints regarding police inefficiencies. 

Maj Gen Reddy has worked in SAPS for over 39 years and served in numerous capacities, having worked his way up the ranks in the Western Cape, Kwa-Zulu Natal and Gauteng. In addition, he has served as a Major General in SAPS for 19 years. He currently serves as the Cluster Commander for Eden.

Premier Winde said: “I look forward to working with the new Western Cape Police Ombudsman who brings with him a wealth of experience and expertise. He is a person who puts new ideas on the table. This is exemplified as he has established Youth Desks and Senior Citizen Desks at all SAPS Stations within the Eden Cluster, and is piloting the Evidence-Based Policing concept for SAPS nationally, in conjunction with the Institute of Security Studies.”

He brings with him a wealth of qualifications which include:

  • Masters Degree in Public Administration (MPA) from Harvard University;
  • Bachelor of Law Degree from UNISA;
  • National Diploma in Police Administration from Technikon RSA;
  • Diploma in Business Management from the Business Management Training College of Southern Africa;
  • Certification from the John Maxwell Online University, after attending the graduation in Orlando, USA; and
  • Training from the SAPS in negotiation and conflict management, conflict resolution, dispute resolution, negotiation and team building, and project management.

He further brings with him extensive expertise which he has gained from international policing bodies. He received training on community involvement and participation in crime prevention in the Netherlands in his efforts to establish CPFs in Soweto. He attended a 2-week Top Management Development programme in Denmark, an executive development programme at the FBI Academy in Quantico - USA, and the Bramshill Leadership Academy for Policing in London, UK.

Premier Winde continued, “I look forward to Maj Gen Reddy bringing his passion for community service to this role. I understand him to be a person who strives towards excellent customer service which is crucial to this position.”

The Minister of Community Safety, Albert Fritz said: "On behalf of the Department of Community Safety, I would like to welcome Maj Gen Reddy nomination as the Ombudsman, which has a crucially important role to play in our Provincial Safety Plan. We look forward to the many fruitful engagements we will have and to working together for the benefit of our citizens and communities.”