Minstrels accomplish in Athlone on two January 2017. Archive Image: Ashraf Hendricks

A report by Lawyers Dabishi Nthambeleni into a R27.three-million grant by the Countrywide Lotteries Commission towards the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) for a minstrels museum has located no proof that a museum ever existed.
The investigators identified that the CTMCA didn't make use of the R5-million allocated to purchase or establish a museum.
In addition they identified that the CTMCA only acquired land truly worth R1.7-million, not R5-million as allocated.
They uncovered the CTMCA made use of cash in the Lottery to acquire workshop machines from certainly one of its very own directors, Richard “Pot” Stemmet.
A leaked forensic report reveals how an incredible number of rand granted on the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) via the Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) to arrange a museum to rejoice the city’s rich minstrel record went astray. The museum was hardly ever designed.

The details with the abuse of numerous rands of Lottery cash for a museum that under no circumstances was are exposed in an investigative report commissioned via the NLC in 2021.

The museum grant was Portion of much more than R64-million in Lottery funds allocated towards the CTMCA among 2003 and 2017.

The primary Component of the investigation, by regulation business Dabishi Nthambeleni, was done involving September 2020 and January 2021 and focused on a R27.3-million grant on the CTMCA in 2014, which bundled funding with the museum. The authorised finances for that museum was over R12.eight-million, with R5-million of that allocated for just a making to house the museum.

Browse the report (PDF, 7MB)

The NLC tasked Dabishi Nthambeleni to research the acquisition of a making for your museum and if the museum “basically existed”.

The company was also instructed to research

the acquisition with Lottery cash of two vehicles – a 60-seater bus plus a 23-seater bus – for R2.four-million; and
numerous machines “acquired to the production with the costumes and hats” with the minstrels carnival, for R5.four-million.
At time, convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet was director from the CTMCA. He was appointed a director from the CTMCA in September 1996. He resigned in December 2016 but his spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued as two of a number of administrators on the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed like a director in May 2021.

The investigation adopted substantial reporting by GroundUp in regards to the countless rands of Lottery funding allotted towards the CTMCA (see in this article, right here and below) and the way the money likely helped finance the ANC’s 2014 election campaign from the Western Cape, led by at time by Marius Fransman.



The setting up on the best was the intended web site of your minstrels’ museum, in the midst of an industrial area in Primrose Park, Cape Town. Picture: Raymond Joseph

In response to your Parliamentary question, previous NLC Commissioner Thabang Mampane mentioned grants to three CTMCA “assignments” - including the museum - among 2012 and 2015. All 3 tasks were completed, she told MPs.

Nevertheless the investigators found no evidence that a museum experienced at any time existed.

At first the museum was because of open up in rented premises in Crete Street, Wetton. A photo attained by GroundUp with the supposed Wetton museum reveals a espresso shop with a few musical instruments and minstrel costumes and collages of photographs haphazardly hung around the walls, and a design ship on its plinth inside a corner.

In its report, Dabishi Nthambeleni reported it was “not in a position” to confirm if a museum had at any time operated from these premises.

Stemmet explained to the investigators the museum were moved since they could not pay for the rent of R100,000 per month. He claimed the CTMCA had obtained home for R1.seven-million in Schaapkraal for that museum, but could not get it rezoned, and were marketed for the same selling price. Schaapkraal is in a very peri-urban region considerably from the city.

Because of this, the museum were moved to a whole new area in Primrose Park in February 2021, Stemmet explained to the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators. But soon after visiting the premises, which might be within an industrial location, the investigators claimed they doubted no matter whether a proper museum existed there. Pictures connected to your report exhibit a mishmash of randomly exhibited uniforms, musical instruments and diverse minstrel paraphernalia nailed towards the wall, exhibited on tables and distribute out on the floor, without having rationalization.

“You will find a nominal number of things in the museum [that] on no account characterize the a lot more than 100-12 months background of the Cape City Carnival, the investigators reported, including that there was “no signage exterior the premises indicating which they housed a museum and … usually, the museum does not look to generally be open up to the general public.”

The CTMCA experienced breached the grant settlement, Dabishi Nthambeleni noted, by transferring The situation on the museum to an alternative spot without notifying the NLC.



The Schaapkraal house, on which no museum was at any time created. Photo: Raymond Joseph

Buses
Stemmet informed the investigators that the CTMCA experienced to move with the rented Crete Street premises because it experienced run up a R4-million credit card debt with the City of Cape Town and was fearful its tools could well be attached.

“Because of the authorized battles and the debts, the organisation had to move its house from five Crete Highway to steer clear of the sheriff from attaching the assets of the organisation,” Stemmet informed the investigators.

Sedrick Soeker, the current director in the CTMCA, advised them the two buses bought with lottery funds were saved in the solution spot “hidden from the Sheriff”. Though the investigators reported they were being unable to substantiate that any buses had at any time been bought.

Stemmet also verified that the buses were concealed to prevent them getting seized. But in the event the investigators requested to generally be taken for the place wherever the buses were stored, he instructed them that “the owner of the secret area wasn't accessible to open up the premises for us”.

“The CTMCA couldn't deliver evidence of payment for 2 vehicles that it allegedly obtained with grant dollars,” the investigators claimed.

Soeker also explained to them the Schaapkraal property were bought due to personal debt.

“Mr Soeker explained that In accordance with his comprehension, as a result of financial debt owed to the City of Cape City, the CTMCA determined It will be ideal to sell their [Schaapkraal] residence … and to also to cover the assets on the CTMCA to avoid the sheriff from attaching the house.”

JP Smith, Cape City’s mayco member for protection and security, has Formerly instructed GroundUp which the CTMCA “threw money away” on litigation with the City.

“Each and every year like clockwork, as we tactic the top of your year, the CTMCA picks a legal fight with town, around permits or another thing. We hardly ever initiate it. They continue to keep throwing revenue absent on vexatious litigation they drop and have prices awarded from them. That is completely self-inflicted,” he said.

Soeker instructed the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators that the principle function gamers on problems with Lottery funding had been Stemmet and previous CTMCA board member Kevin Momberg, “who were in command of all of the admin, finances and jogging ตรวจ สลากกินแบ่ง รัฐบาล the CTMCA.” The investigators explained they had been not able to contact Momberg.

Hats
Throughout their “investigation in loco” on the Primrose Park premises, the investigators “identified many equipment, some in very good situation, some in poor situation and many that looked rusty and intensely aged”. Stemmet advised the investigators that there was also an off-site storage facility the place “devices plus some equipment” were kept.

“We questioned him to consider us to the ability but he was evasive to our request.”

Dependant on pictures and invoices in GroundUp’s possession, some, Otherwise all, of the things look like devices that was illegally removed from the CTMCA’s earlier premises. Stemmet is experiencing rates for this removing.

In accordance with the last progress report submitted to the NLC with the CTMCA, the machinery was purchased from Martin-Conne Milliners, a corporation where Stemmet, his wife and his daughter ended up administrators at the time.

The investigators observed this “alarming”.

“From your CIPC research of Martin-Conne Milliners and also the invoices submitted, we Observe the subsequent alarming obtaining: Mr Stemmet himself is a director of Martin-Conne Milliners. The registered deal with of the corporate is five Crete Highway, Wetton, Cape City, the identical handle on which the museum was meant to be built and/or transformed,” they described.

An audit by accountants Kopano Integrated, attached on the investigative report, recorded the CTMCA was in the entire process of obtaining “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 considered one of the directors.

In accordance with Dabishi Nthambeleni, the organization has compensated R1.two-million like a deposit, this means R6.9-million continues to be owed, nevertheless there is absolutely no payment day established for when this should be paid out.

The Kopano audit as well as close website link among the businesses “point out to us that there's ‘foul Enjoy’ linked to the acquisition on the machinery from the museum workshop”, the investigators said in the report.

“We discover that it is extremely possible that CTMCA utilised the funding in the NLC to ‘refund’ among its primary administrators to the property at an increased overpriced fee than the particular selling price and value of the house and/or equipment.”

Recommendations
Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded that it had been unable to determine how the grant towards the CTMCA had been put in.

“In fact, a detailed report on how the funding on the NLC was made use of, could be extremely hard as being the CTMCA doesn't have any receipts, or evidence of payments to verify the amounts used on Every merchandise it requested funding for. The interim report and ultimate report with the CTMCA only connect invoices,” Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded.

The investigators found which the NLC had not carried out a web site go to prior to approving the grant. But this wasn't common exercise at time they usually located no proof of negligence by NLC personnel.

At the time, the NLC’s regulations did not call for funded organisations to post evidence of payment with interim experiences, they pointed out. This intended that the CTMCA was capable of receive a 2nd tranche of funding without the need to provide evidence that it experienced made use of the first tranche for its intended purpose.

Next the appointment of a fresh board, commissioner and senior executive workforce, the NLC has tightened up on these as well as other problems.

Dabishi Nthambeleni suggested that

the NLC drop any upcoming funding apps from the CTMCA;
the CTMCA and any customers who were involved with the grant be subjected towards the NLC’s “delinquency” system;
the NLC open a felony circumstance of fraud with SAPS or the Hawks for allegations of fraud; and
the NLC start off the whole process of recovering the misappropriated resources.
But, as opposed to act about the report’s suggestions, the NLC – beneath its past administration – selected to suppress it, since it had completed Together with the earlier reviews into corruption it experienced commissioned.

GroundUp sent queries to Stemmet and Soeker by way of SMS, and questioned for e mail addresses to ship the concerns by electronic mail as well. But no reaction had been been given at time of publication.



The minstrel “museum” in Crete Highway, Wetton. Photo: Raymond Joseph

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