Minstrels complete in Athlone on 2 January 2017. Archive Image: Ashraf Hendricks
A report by attorneys Dabishi Nthambeleni right into a R27.3-million grant because of the National Lotteries Commission towards the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) for just a minstrels museum has located no proof that a museum at any time existed.
The investigators discovered that the CTMCA didn't make use of the R5-million allocated to buy or build a museum.
Additionally they observed the CTMCA only bought land worthy of R1.seven-million, not R5-million as allotted.
They located the CTMCA employed funds from your Lottery to buy workshop gear from one of its own directors, Richard “Pot” Stemmet.
A leaked forensic report reveals how countless rand granted into the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) by the Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) to put in place a museum to celebrate town’s abundant minstrel historical past went astray. The museum was in no way created.
The small print from the abuse of countless rands of Lottery cash to get a museum that under no circumstances was are exposed in an investigative report commissioned via the NLC in 2021.
The museum grant was A part of more than R64-million in Lottery cash allotted to the CTMCA among 2003 and 2017.
The 1st Element of the investigation, by law company Dabishi Nthambeleni, was performed amongst September 2020 and January 2021 and focused on a R27.3-million grant towards the CTMCA in 2014, which integrated funding for your museum. The authorized spending budget for the museum was more than R12.eight-million, with R5-million of that allocated to get a building to accommodate the museum.
Go through the report (PDF, 7MB)
The NLC tasked Dabishi Nthambeleni to analyze the purchase of a setting up to the museum and whether or not the museum “truly existed”.
The organization was also instructed to investigate
the purchase with Lottery cash of two automobiles – a sixty-seater bus as well as a 23-seater bus – for R2.four-million; and
different devices “procured with the producing of your costumes and hats” for the minstrels carnival, for R5.four-million.
At some time, convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet was director on the CTMCA. He was appointed a director on the CTMCA in September 1996. He resigned in December 2016 but his wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing as two of quite a few directors of the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed to be a director in May well 2021.
The investigation followed extensive reporting by GroundUp regarding the millions of rands of Lottery funding allocated into the CTMCA (see right here, below and right here) and the best way the resources most likely served finance the ANC’s 2014 election marketing campaign in the Western Cape, led by at time by Marius Fransman.
The developing on the best was the supposed website with the minstrels’ museum, in the course of an industrial spot in Primrose Park, Cape Town. Image: Raymond Joseph
In response to the Parliamentary concern, previous NLC Commissioner Thabang Mampane detailed grants to 3 CTMCA “tasks” - including the museum - involving 2012 and 2015. All 3 jobs had been done, she told MPs.
Even so the investigators found no proof that a museum had at any time existed.
At the beginning the museum was as a result of open up in rented premises in Crete Highway, Wetton. A photo received by GroundUp on the intended Wetton museum exhibits a espresso store with a few musical devices and minstrel costumes and collages of pictures haphazardly hung about the walls, and a product ship on its plinth inside a corner.
In its report, Dabishi Nthambeleni claimed it had been “not ready” to substantiate if a museum experienced ever operated from these premises.
Stemmet told the investigators the museum had been moved because they could now not find the money for the rent of R100,000 a month. He said the CTMCA experienced procured house for R1.seven-million in Schaapkraal for your museum, but could not get it rezoned, and had been marketed for the same price. Schaapkraal is within a peri-urban region considerably from town.
Because of this, the museum were moved to a brand new spot in Primrose Park in February 2021, Stemmet advised the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators. But immediately after traveling to the premises, that are in an industrial area, the investigators stated they doubted no matter whether a correct museum existed there. Photographs attached on the report demonstrate a mishmash of randomly displayed uniforms, musical instruments and diverse minstrel paraphernalia nailed on the wall, exhibited on tables and distribute out on the ground, with no explanation.
“There is a small level of items for the museum [that] on no account characterize the greater than one hundred-12 months historical past of your Cape City Carnival, the investigators reported, adding that there was “no signage outside the premises indicating which they housed a museum and … frequently, the museum does not appear for being open to the general public.”
The CTMCA had breached the grant settlement, Dabishi Nthambeleni famous, by transferring the location from the museum to an alternate location devoid of notifying the NLC.
The Schaapkraal home, on which no museum was ever designed. Picture: Raymond Joseph
Buses
Stemmet instructed the investigators the CTMCA had to maneuver through the rented Crete Street premises mainly because it experienced run up a R4-million credit card debt with the City of Cape City and was afraid its tools could be hooked up.
“Due to legal battles as well as debts, the organisation had to move its property from 5 Crete Street to steer clear of the sheriff from attaching the home of your organisation,” Stemmet informed the investigators.
Sedrick Soeker, The present director from the CTMCA, told them which the two buses bought with lottery funds were being stored inside a top secret site “concealed through the Sheriff”. Nevertheless the investigators reported they had been unable to confirm that any buses had ever been purchased.
Stemmet also verified that the buses had been concealed to halt them staying seized. But in the event the investigators questioned to be taken for the spot wherever the buses were being saved, he explained to them that “the proprietor of The key site was not available to open up the premises for us”.
“The CTMCA couldn't deliver proof of payment for two automobiles that it allegedly obtained with grant income,” the investigators noted.
Soeker also explained to them the Schaapkraal residence had been sold because of the personal debt.
“Mr Soeker defined that Based on his understanding, because of the credit card debt owed to the City of Cape City, the CTMCA decided it would be ideal to provide their [Schaapkraal] home … and to also to hide the property on the CTMCA to steer clear of the sheriff from attaching the house.”
JP Smith, Cape Town’s mayco member for protection and protection, has Formerly advised GroundUp that the CTMCA “threw cash away” on litigation with town.
“Every year like clockwork, as we approach the end of your calendar year, the CTMCA picks a authorized battle with the City, around permits or another thing. We in no way initiate it. They continue to keep throwing money absent on vexatious litigation which they reduce and possess expenditures awarded from them. That is entirely self-inflicted,” he mentioned.
Soeker instructed the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators that the key purpose players on issues of Lottery funding had been Stemmet and previous CTMCA board member Kevin Momberg, “who were answerable for each of the admin, funds and functioning ผล หวย ลาว the CTMCA.” The investigators reported they were unable to contact Momberg.
Hats
During their “investigation in loco” at the Primrose Park premises, the investigators “found a lot of devices, some in great condition, some in lousy issue and several that appeared rusty and extremely previous”. Stemmet told the investigators that there was also an off-web-site storage facility the place “devices and some equipment” were retained.
“We asked him to just take us to the ability but he was evasive to our ask for.”
According to images and invoices in GroundUp’s possession, some, Otherwise all, of your merchandise look like devices that was illegally removed from the CTMCA’s earlier premises. Stemmet is struggling with costs for this removing.
According to the final progress report submitted to the NLC via the CTMCA, the machinery was purchased from Martin-Conne Milliners, a corporation where Stemmet, his spouse and his daughter have been administrators at time.
The investigators observed this “alarming”.
“From the CIPC lookup of Martin-Conne Milliners as well as the invoices submitted, we Take note the following alarming obtaining: Mr Stemmet himself is actually a director of Martin-Conne Milliners. The registered tackle of the company is 5 Crete Road, Wetton, Cape Town, exactly the same deal with on which the museum was intended to be developed and/or converted,” they claimed.
An audit by accountants Kopano Included, connected on the investigative report, recorded the CTMCA was in the process of acquiring “machinery, plant and inventory” valued at R8.1-million from Stalph 164 CC, trading as Martin-Conne Milliners. Staph 164 was a detailed corporation of which Stemmet was one of the directors.
According to Dabishi Nthambeleni, the corporation has paid R1.2-million as a deposit, indicating R6.9-million remains to be owed, although there is no payment day established for when this has to be compensated.
The Kopano audit along with the close backlink in between the companies “point out to us that there's ‘foul play’ involved in the purchase in the machinery on the museum workshop”, the investigators reported within the report.
“We find that it's really probable that CTMCA utilised the funding with the NLC to ‘refund’ certainly one of its major directors for your house at an increased overpriced charge than the particular rate and value of the residence and/or machinery.”
Suggestions
Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded that it was unable to determine how the grant for the CTMCA were spent.
“The truth is, a detailed report on how the funding in the NLC was used, will be impossible because the CTMCA does not have any receipts, or evidence of payments to verify the amounts put in on Just about every merchandise it requested funding for. The interim report and remaining report from the CTMCA only connect invoices,” Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded.
The investigators discovered that the NLC experienced not carried out a web site go to right before approving the grant. But this wasn't common apply at some time and they uncovered no evidence of carelessness by NLC staff.
At time, the NLC’s principles didn't need funded organisations to submit evidence of payment with interim experiences, they identified. This intended which the CTMCA was capable to get a 2nd tranche of funding without the need to offer proof that it had employed the 1st tranche for its supposed purpose.
Following the appointment of a different board, commissioner and senior govt staff, the NLC has tightened up on these along with other difficulties.
Dabishi Nthambeleni proposed that
the NLC decrease any long run funding programs from the CTMCA;
the CTMCA and any customers who had been linked to the grant be subjected on the NLC’s “delinquency” approach;
the NLC open a prison case of fraud with SAPS or perhaps the Hawks for allegations of fraud; and
the NLC start the whole process of recovering the misappropriated resources.
But, as an alternative to act over the report’s recommendations, the NLC – under its preceding administration – selected to suppress it, since it had finished Using the prior reports into corruption it experienced commissioned.
GroundUp sent queries to Stemmet and Soeker by way of SMS, and questioned for e-mail addresses to send the questions by electronic mail way too. But no response were obtained at the time of publication.
The minstrel “museum” in Crete Street, Wetton. Photograph: Raymond Joseph
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