Minstrels carry out in Athlone on two January 2017. Archive Image: Ashraf Hendricks
A report by Lawyers Dabishi Nthambeleni into a R27.three-million grant by the Nationwide Lotteries Commission into the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) to get a minstrels museum has found no proof that a museum at any time existed.
The investigators found the CTMCA didn't utilize the R5-million allotted to purchase or produce a museum.
In addition they discovered that the CTMCA only bought land value R1.seven-million, not R5-million as allocated.
They located the CTMCA applied resources within the Lottery to get workshop machines from amongst its have directors, Richard “Pot” Stemmet.
A leaked forensic report reveals how countless rand granted to your Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) from the Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) to create a museum to celebrate town’s rich minstrel heritage went astray. The museum was never developed.
The main points in the abuse of many rands of Lottery money for any museum that in no way was are revealed in an investigative report commissioned by the NLC in 2021.
The museum grant was Portion of more than R64-million in Lottery funds allotted on the CTMCA among 2003 and 2017.
The 1st part of the investigation, by law organization Dabishi Nthambeleni, was conducted among September 2020 and January 2021 and centered on a R27.three-million grant into the CTMCA in 2014, which involved funding with the museum. The authorised budget with the museum was more than R12.eight-million, with R5-million of that allocated for a creating to accommodate the museum.
Go through the report (PDF, 7MB)
The NLC tasked Dabishi Nthambeleni to analyze the purchase of the making for your museum and whether or not the museum “really existed”.
The organization was also instructed to analyze
the purchase with Lottery money of two cars – a sixty-seater bus along with a 23-seater bus – for R2.4-million; and
a variety of devices “acquired for that production with the costumes and hats” with the minstrels carnival, for R5.four-million.
At enough time, convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet was director in the CTMCA. He was appointed a director in the CTMCA in September 1996. He resigned in December 2016 but his wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing as two of various directors of the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed to be a director in May well 2021.
The investigation followed extensive reporting by GroundUp regarding the many rands of Lottery funding allotted towards the CTMCA (see in this article, right here and in this article) and the way the money likely helped finance the ANC’s 2014 election campaign inside the Western Cape, led by at enough time by Marius Fransman.
The setting up on the proper was the supposed web site on the minstrels’ museum, in the midst of an industrial location in Primrose Park, Cape Town. Photo: Raymond Joseph
In reaction to your Parliamentary concern, former NLC Commissioner Thabang Mampane outlined grants to three CTMCA “jobs” - such as the museum - among 2012 and 2015. All three initiatives had been concluded, she informed MPs.
But the investigators observed no proof that a museum had at any time existed.
In the beginning the museum was because of open in rented premises in Crete Street, Wetton. A photograph obtained by GroundUp in the meant Wetton museum shows a coffee shop with some musical instruments and minstrel costumes and collages of photographs haphazardly hung to the partitions, and also a product ship on its plinth inside of a corner.
In its report, Dabishi Nthambeleni stated it was “not ready” to substantiate if a museum experienced ever operated from these premises.
Stemmet informed the investigators the museum had been moved since they could no longer afford to pay for the lease of R100,000 a month. He reported the CTMCA had purchased assets for R1.7-million in Schaapkraal with the museum, but could not get it rezoned, and were sold for a similar cost. Schaapkraal is inside of a peri-urban place far from the town.
As a result, the museum had been moved to a different location in Primrose Park in February 2021, Stemmet advised the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators. But just after going to the premises, which might be within an industrial place, the investigators reported they doubted regardless of whether a correct museum existed there. Photographs attached to the report show a mishmash of randomly exhibited uniforms, musical devices and assorted minstrel paraphernalia nailed to the wall, exhibited on tables and spread out on the ground, without explanation.
“You will find there's nominal quantity of merchandise with the museum [that] in no way characterize the over a hundred-year background with the Cape City Carnival, the investigators stated, incorporating that there was “no signage exterior the premises indicating which they housed a museum and … generally, the museum doesn't seem being open up to the general public.”
The CTMCA had breached the grant agreement, Dabishi Nthambeleni mentioned, by shifting the location of the museum to another site devoid of notifying the NLC.
The Schaapkraal house, on which no museum was ever crafted. Photograph: Raymond Joseph
Buses
Stemmet instructed the investigators which the CTMCA experienced to maneuver from the rented Crete Road premises as it experienced operate up a R4-million personal debt with the City of Cape City and was scared its devices can be attached.
“A result of the lawful battles as well as the debts, the organisation experienced to move its property from five Crete Street to stay away from the sheriff from attaching the assets in the organisation,” Stemmet explained to the investigators.
Sedrick Soeker, The present director of the CTMCA, advised them the two buses bought with lottery funds have been stored within a top secret locale “hidden from the Sheriff”. Although the investigators reported they were unable to confirm that any buses experienced ever been purchased.
Stemmet also confirmed that the buses had been concealed to stop them getting seized. But when the investigators questioned to get taken for the position the place the buses were saved, he advised them that “the operator of The trick site wasn't available to open the premises for us”.
“The CTMCA could not offer proof of payment for two vehicles that it allegedly procured with grant income,” the investigators documented.
Soeker also advised them the Schaapkraal home had been marketed because of the credit card debt.
“Mr Soeker spelled out that In keeping with his comprehension, due to personal debt owed to the City of Cape Town, the CTMCA determined It could be very best to offer their [Schaapkraal] property … and to also to hide the belongings on the CTMCA to avoid the sheriff from attaching the assets.”
JP Smith, Cape Town’s mayco member for safety and stability, has Earlier informed GroundUp that the CTMCA “threw dollars away” on litigation with town.
“Every year like clockwork, as we technique the top on the yr, the CTMCA picks a lawful battle with town, around permits or something else. We never ever initiate it. They keep throwing cash away on vexatious litigation they eliminate and also have expenses awarded versus them. This is fully self-inflicted,” he explained.
Soeker told the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators that the most crucial part gamers on problems with Lottery funding had been Stemmet and former CTMCA board member Kevin Momberg, “who ended up in control of many of the admin, funds and operating ตรวจ สลากกินแบ่ง รัฐบาล the CTMCA.” The investigators claimed they had been not able to contact Momberg.
Hats
Through their “investigation in loco” in the Primrose Park premises, the investigators “located numerous machines, some in excellent affliction, some in lousy condition and a few that looked rusty and extremely old”. Stemmet informed the investigators that there was also an off-web site storage facility in which “instruments and some equipment” ended up held.
“We asked him to take us to the power but he was evasive to our request.”
Based on pics and invoices in GroundUp’s possession, some, if not all, of the goods appear to be devices that was illegally faraway from the CTMCA’s previous premises. Stemmet is experiencing charges for this elimination.
In accordance with the final progress report submitted to your NLC by the CTMCA, the machinery was obtained from Martin-Conne Milliners, a corporation in which Stemmet, his wife and his daughter had been directors at time.
The investigators located this “alarming”.
“With the CIPC look for of Martin-Conne Milliners as well as invoices submitted, we note the subsequent alarming getting: Mr Stemmet himself is a director of Martin-Conne Milliners. The registered handle of the corporate is 5 Crete Road, Wetton, Cape City, precisely the same deal with on which the museum was meant to be developed and/or transformed,” they documented.
An audit by accountants Kopano Incorporated, connected to the investigative report, recorded the CTMCA was in the whole process of getting “equipment, plant and inventory” valued at R8.1-million from Stalph 164 CC, buying and selling as Martin-Conne Milliners. Staph 164 was a detailed corporation of which Stemmet was among the administrators.
According to Dabishi Nthambeleni, the business has paid out R1.two-million for a deposit, this means R6.nine-million remains owed, though there's no payment date established for when this needs to be compensated.
The Kopano audit as well as near website link among the businesses “point out to us that there is ‘foul play’ linked to the purchase of your machinery of the museum workshop”, the investigators reported inside the report.
“We discover that it is hugely possible that CTMCA employed the funding of your NLC to ‘refund’ among its most important directors for your residence at the next overpriced price than the actual selling price and price of the assets and/or equipment.”
Tips
Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded that it absolutely was not able to determine how the grant into the CTMCA were expended.
“In point of fact, an in depth report on how the funding on the NLC was utilised, can be extremely hard since the CTMCA does not have any receipts, or evidence of payments to confirm the quantities put in on Every product it requested funding for. The interim report and closing report in the CTMCA only connect invoices,” Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded.
The investigators discovered which the NLC experienced not carried out a web page pay a visit to right before approving the grant. But this was not normal exercise at the time and they identified no evidence of negligence by NLC staff members.
At enough time, the NLC’s procedures didn't involve funded organisations to post evidence of payment with interim stories, they pointed out. This meant which the CTMCA was able to get a 2nd tranche of funding without needing to offer evidence that it had utilized the first tranche for its supposed goal.
Subsequent the appointment of a completely new board, commissioner and senior government team, the NLC has tightened up on these together with other concerns.
Dabishi Nthambeleni recommended that
the NLC decline any upcoming funding applications through the CTMCA;
the CTMCA and any users who were associated with the grant be subjected on the NLC’s “delinquency” system;
the NLC open up a prison circumstance of fraud with SAPS or maybe the Hawks for allegations of fraud; and
the NLC begin the process of recovering the misappropriated funds.
But, rather than act on the report’s tips, the NLC – underneath its preceding administration – chose to suppress it, mainly because it experienced completed Using the former stories into corruption it had commissioned.
GroundUp sent questions to Stemmet and Soeker by means of SMS, and asked for e mail addresses to send the inquiries by electronic mail also. But no reaction were obtained at enough time of publication.
The minstrel “museum” in Crete Highway, Wetton. Photo: Raymond Joseph
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