Minstrels perform in Athlone on two January 2017. Archive Image: Ashraf Hendricks
A report by attorneys Dabishi Nthambeleni into a R27.three-million grant from the National Lotteries Fee on the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) for any minstrels museum has found no proof that a museum ever existed.
The investigators located that the CTMCA didn't use the R5-million allotted to acquire or make a museum.
In addition they observed that the CTMCA only acquired land well worth R1.seven-million, not R5-million as allocated.
They observed the CTMCA utilized funds with the Lottery to buy workshop equipment from amongst its individual administrators, Richard “Pot” Stemmet.
A leaked forensic report reveals how countless rand granted to your Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) via the Countrywide Lotteries Fee (NLC) to create a museum to celebrate town’s wealthy minstrel history went astray. The museum was never designed.
The small print in the abuse of countless rands of Lottery cash for a museum that by no means was are disclosed in an investigative report commissioned via the NLC in 2021.
The museum grant was Portion of greater than R64-million in Lottery money allotted on the CTMCA involving 2003 and 2017.
The 1st Component of the investigation, by law agency Dabishi Nthambeleni, was conducted between September 2020 and January 2021 and focused on a R27.three-million grant to your CTMCA in 2014, which bundled funding for the museum. The authorised price range for that museum was over R12.eight-million, with R5-million of that allocated for just a creating to house the museum.
Read through the report (PDF, 7MB)
The NLC tasked Dabishi Nthambeleni to research the purchase of a setting up for your museum and if the museum “actually existed”.
The agency was also instructed to research
the acquisition with Lottery funds of two autos – a sixty-seater bus along with a 23-seater bus – for R2.4-million; and
several equipment “ordered for the producing with the costumes and hats” for that minstrels carnival, for R5.4-million.
At enough time, convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet was director of your CTMCA. He was appointed a director in the CTMCA in September 1996. He resigned in December 2016 but his spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued as two of quite a few directors of the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed like a director in May well 2021.
The investigation followed considerable reporting by GroundUp in regards to the a lot of rands of Lottery funding allotted to your CTMCA (see here, listed here and here) and the way the funds almost certainly assisted finance the ANC’s 2014 election campaign inside the Western Cape, led by at enough time by Marius Fransman.
The developing on the correct was the meant web page on the minstrels’ museum, in the course of an industrial place in Primrose Park, Cape City. Photo: Raymond Joseph
In reaction to the Parliamentary issue, previous NLC Commissioner Thabang Mampane stated grants to 3 CTMCA “tasks” - including the museum - concerning 2012 and 2015. All a few jobs were finished, she advised MPs.
Though the investigators discovered no proof that a museum had at any time existed.
Initially the museum was because of open up in rented premises in Crete Road, Wetton. A photograph acquired by GroundUp from the supposed Wetton museum demonstrates a coffee store with a few musical instruments and minstrel costumes and collages of pics haphazardly hung within the walls, and a product ship on its plinth inside a corner.
In its report, Dabishi Nthambeleni claimed it absolutely was “not in a position” to confirm if a museum had at any time operated from these premises.
Stemmet informed the investigators the museum were moved since they could no more afford to pay for the rent of R100,000 a month. He stated the CTMCA experienced bought assets for R1.7-million in Schaapkraal with the museum, but couldn't get it rezoned, and were offered for a similar price. Schaapkraal is inside a peri-urban space significantly from the city.
Consequently, the museum were moved to a brand new spot in Primrose Park in February 2021, Stemmet informed the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators. But following browsing the premises, which might be within an industrial spot, the investigators stated they doubted whether or not a suitable museum existed there. Pictures connected to your report exhibit a mishmash of randomly displayed uniforms, musical devices and diverse minstrel paraphernalia nailed into the wall, exhibited on tables and unfold out on the floor, with no explanation.
“There exists a minimum number of goods with the museum [that] in no way stand for the over one hundred-yr historical past with the Cape City Carnival, the investigators claimed, including that there was “no signage outside the premises indicating which they housed a museum and … usually, the museum does not glance for being open up to the public.”
The CTMCA experienced breached the grant arrangement, Dabishi Nthambeleni mentioned, by going The placement of your museum to an alternative spot with no notifying the NLC.
The Schaapkraal home, on which no museum was at any time developed. Photo: Raymond Joseph
Buses
Stemmet instructed the investigators that the CTMCA had to move from the rented Crete Road premises because it experienced operate up a R4-million debt with the City of Cape City and was afraid its gear could be attached.
“Due to the legal battles as well as the debts, the organisation had to move its home from five Crete Street to steer clear of the sheriff from attaching the assets of the organisation,” Stemmet informed the investigators.
Sedrick Soeker, The existing director from the CTMCA, explained to them that the two buses purchased with lottery resources were being stored inside of a secret spot “concealed within the Sheriff”. Though the investigators mentioned they were being unable to confirm that any buses had at any time been acquired.
Stemmet also verified the buses had been hidden to halt them getting seized. But if the investigators asked to become taken on the place where the buses were saved, he advised them that “the proprietor of the secret locale was not accessible to open up the premises for us”.
“The CTMCA couldn't supply evidence of payment for 2 cars that it allegedly bought with grant revenue,” the investigators documented.
Soeker also told them the Schaapkraal residence had been marketed due to the personal debt.
“Mr Soeker discussed that In keeping with his comprehension, as a result of credit card debt owed to town of Cape City, the CTMCA made the decision It will be most effective to sell their [Schaapkraal] property … and also to also to hide the assets from the CTMCA to avoid the sheriff from attaching the home.”
JP Smith, Cape City’s mayco member for security and security, has Earlier told GroundUp the CTMCA “threw cash away” on litigation with the City.
“Each and every year like clockwork, as we method the tip in the calendar year, the CTMCA picks a legal combat with the City, over permits or another thing. We in no way initiate it. They preserve throwing revenue absent on vexatious litigation which they shed and have fees awarded in opposition to them. This is certainly solely self-inflicted,” he said.
Soeker told the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators that the primary role gamers on problems with Lottery funding were Stemmet and previous CTMCA board member Kevin Momberg, “who had been in command of the many admin, funds and managing หวย หุ้น ช่อง 9 วัน นี้ the CTMCA.” The investigators said they were not able to Make contact with Momberg.
Hats
In the course of their “investigation in loco” in the Primrose Park premises, the investigators “uncovered a lot of machines, some in fantastic problem, some in bad affliction and a few that appeared rusty and very outdated”. Stemmet explained to the investigators that there was also an off-website storage facility wherever “devices plus some equipment” were retained.
“We asked him to consider us to the facility but he was evasive to our request.”
Dependant on pictures and invoices in GroundUp’s possession, some, if not all, of the items appear to be machines which was illegally removed from the CTMCA’s earlier premises. Stemmet is experiencing fees for this elimination.
In accordance with the closing progress report submitted for the NLC from the CTMCA, the equipment was acquired from Martin-Conne Milliners, a business by which Stemmet, his spouse and his daughter were being directors at some time.
The investigators located this “alarming”.
“In the CIPC research of Martin-Conne Milliners and also the invoices submitted, we Observe the subsequent alarming getting: Mr Stemmet himself is a director of Martin-Conne Milliners. The registered handle of the company is five Crete Street, Wetton, Cape Town, precisely the same deal with on which the museum was meant to be designed and/or converted,” they reported.
An audit by accountants Kopano Included, connected on the investigative report, recorded the CTMCA was in the process of purchasing “equipment, plant and stock” valued at R8.one-million from Stalph 164 CC, investing as Martin-Conne Milliners. Staph 164 was an in depth Company of which Stemmet was considered one of the directors.
In keeping with Dabishi Nthambeleni, the business has compensated R1.two-million as a deposit, which means R6.9-million continues to be owed, however there isn't any payment date set for when this has to be paid out.
The Kopano audit plus the shut backlink between the businesses “point out to us that there's ‘foul Perform’ associated with the purchase of your equipment from the museum workshop”, the investigators stated within the report.
“We discover that it is really probable that CTMCA made use of the funding in the NLC to ‘refund’ certainly one of its most important directors for that property at an increased overpriced rate than the actual price tag and price of the assets and/or equipment.”
Tips
Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded that it absolutely was not able to ascertain how the grant to your CTMCA were used.
“In fact, a detailed report on how the funding with the NLC was made use of, could well be impossible given that the CTMCA doesn't have any receipts, or proof of payments to substantiate the amounts spent on each merchandise it requested funding for. The interim report and closing report in the CTMCA only connect invoices,” Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded.
The investigators discovered the NLC experienced not executed a website stop by prior to approving the grant. But this was not typical practice at time plus they uncovered no proof of carelessness by NLC workers.
At time, the NLC’s regulations didn't involve funded organisations to post evidence of payment with interim studies, they pointed out. This meant which the CTMCA was ready to get a 2nd tranche of funding while not having to deliver proof that it had made use of the main tranche for its meant objective.
Next the appointment of a completely new board, commissioner and senior government workforce, the NLC has tightened up on these and various troubles.
Dabishi Nthambeleni suggested that
the NLC decrease any upcoming funding programs with the CTMCA;
the CTMCA and any users who had been associated with the grant be subjected into the NLC’s “delinquency” procedure;
the NLC open a legal situation of fraud with SAPS or perhaps the Hawks for allegations of fraud; and
the NLC start out the whole process of recovering the misappropriated cash.
But, in lieu of act within the report’s recommendations, the NLC – under its preceding administration – chose to suppress it, as it had accomplished Using the prior reports into corruption it had commissioned.
GroundUp sent thoughts to Stemmet and Soeker by using SMS, and requested for email addresses to send out the queries by electronic mail also. But no reaction were acquired at some time of publication.
The minstrel “museum” in Crete Road, Wetton. Picture: Raymond Joseph
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