Minstrels execute in Athlone on 2 January 2017. Archive photo: Ashraf Hendricks

A report by attorneys Dabishi Nthambeleni into a R27.three-million grant from the Countrywide Lotteries Commission to your Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) to get a minstrels museum has located no proof that a museum ever existed.
The investigators located that the CTMCA didn't utilize the R5-million allocated to get or make a museum.
In addition they discovered that the CTMCA only acquired land worth R1.seven-million, not R5-million as allocated.
They observed the CTMCA employed funds within the Lottery to buy workshop gear from one among its very own directors, Richard “Pot” Stemmet.
A leaked forensic report reveals how millions of rand granted into the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) from the Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) to setup a museum to rejoice town’s abundant minstrel historical past went astray. The museum was under no circumstances established.

The details from the abuse of numerous rands of Lottery money for a museum that under no circumstances was are unveiled within an investigative report commissioned via the NLC in 2021.

The museum grant was A part of over R64-million in Lottery money allotted to your CTMCA concerning 2003 and 2017.

The main Portion of the investigation, by regulation agency Dabishi Nthambeleni, was done amongst September 2020 and January 2021 and centered on a R27.three-million grant to the CTMCA in 2014, which bundled funding for that museum. The authorized finances with the museum was over R12.8-million, with R5-million of that allocated for just a creating to house the museum.

Browse the report (PDF, 7MB)

The NLC tasked Dabishi Nthambeleni to research the purchase of the constructing for your museum and if the museum “actually existed”.

The company was also instructed to analyze

the purchase with Lottery money of two motor vehicles – a 60-seater bus plus a 23-seater bus – for R2.four-million; and
various devices “obtained for your producing with the costumes and hats” for your minstrels carnival, for R5.four-million.
At enough time, convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet was director in the CTMCA. He was appointed a director from 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 on the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as a director in May possibly 2021.

The investigation followed comprehensive reporting by GroundUp about the a lot of rands of Lottery funding allotted to your CTMCA (see here, below and here) and the best way the resources likely helped finance the ANC’s 2014 election campaign in the Western Cape, led by at the time by Marius Fransman.



The developing on the ideal was the intended internet site with the minstrels’ museum, in the midst of an industrial spot in Primrose Park, Cape City. Photograph: Raymond Joseph

In reaction into a Parliamentary query, previous NLC Commissioner Thabang Mampane listed grants to a few CTMCA “assignments” - such as the museum - between 2012 and 2015. All three assignments had been finished, she instructed MPs.

Nevertheless the investigators uncovered no evidence that a museum experienced ever existed.

At first the museum was on account of open up in rented premises in Crete Highway, Wetton. A photograph acquired by GroundUp in the supposed Wetton museum exhibits a espresso shop with some musical instruments and minstrel costumes and collages of photographs haphazardly hung within the partitions, and a design ship on its plinth within a corner.

In its report, Dabishi Nthambeleni said it had been “not able” to substantiate if a museum had at any time operated from these premises.

Stemmet advised the investigators the museum were moved as they could no longer manage the lease of R100,000 a month. He claimed the CTMCA experienced purchased home for R1.7-million in Schaapkraal for that museum, but couldn't get it rezoned, and were offered for the same rate. Schaapkraal is in a very peri-city place considerably from town.

Because of this, the museum had been moved to a different site in Primrose Park in February 2021, Stemmet advised the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators. But immediately after going to the premises, which can be within an industrial region, the investigators mentioned they doubted irrespective of whether an appropriate museum existed there. Photos hooked up to your report exhibit a mishmash of randomly displayed uniforms, musical devices and various minstrel paraphernalia nailed into the wall, shown on tables and distribute out on the ground, with no clarification.

“There's a minimal quantity of items at the museum [that] under no circumstances signify the a lot more than one hundred-yr historical past of the Cape City Carnival, the investigators claimed, incorporating that there was “no signage outdoors the premises indicating which they housed a museum and … commonly, the museum won't seem to be open to the public.”

The CTMCA had breached the grant agreement, Dabishi Nthambeleni famous, by moving The placement of the museum to an alternate location devoid of notifying the NLC.



The Schaapkraal assets, on which no museum was at any time constructed. Photograph: Raymond Joseph

Buses
Stemmet instructed the investigators the CTMCA experienced to move with the rented Crete Street premises since it had run up a R4-million credit card debt with town of Cape City and was worried its gear could be attached.

“As a result of legal battles and also the debts, the organisation experienced to move its property from five Crete Road to steer clear of the sheriff from attaching the assets from the organisation,” Stemmet told the investigators.

Sedrick Soeker, The existing director in the CTMCA, explained to them that the two buses purchased with lottery funds ended up saved inside a mystery locale “concealed in the Sheriff”. Though the investigators stated they were unable to substantiate that any buses experienced at any time been bought.

Stemmet also verified which the buses were concealed to halt them being seized. But in the event the investigators requested to generally be taken into the position where by the buses were saved, he explained to them that “the proprietor of the secret locale was not available to open up the premises for us”.

“The CTMCA could not offer evidence of payment for two automobiles that it allegedly bought with grant money,” the investigators claimed.

Soeker also informed them the Schaapkraal residence were offered due to debt.

“Mr Soeker described that In accordance with his being familiar with, because of the debt owed to the City of Cape Town, the CTMCA made a decision it would be very best to offer their [Schaapkraal] residence … also to also to cover the assets of the CTMCA to steer clear of the sheriff from attaching the residence.”

JP Smith, Cape Town’s mayco member for safety and protection, has previously instructed GroundUp that the CTMCA “threw dollars away” on litigation with the town.

“Each year like clockwork, as we tactic the top of the year, the CTMCA picks a legal battle with the town, above permits or something else. We under no circumstances initiate it. They keep throwing income away on vexatious litigation that they drop and possess fees awarded against them. This is often solely self-inflicted,” he claimed.

Soeker told the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators that the principle role players on issues of Lottery funding had been Stemmet and former CTMCA board member Kevin Momberg, “who had been in command of each of the admin, finances and functioning หวย ลาว วัน นี้ the CTMCA.” The investigators stated they had been unable to Make contact with Momberg.

Hats
For the duration of their “investigation in loco” on the Primrose Park premises, the investigators “discovered numerous devices, some in good affliction, some in negative situation and many that looked rusty and very outdated”. Stemmet explained to the investigators that there was also an off-web site storage facility exactly where “instruments and many equipment” have been kept.

“We asked him to just take us to the power but he was evasive to our request.”

Determined by shots and invoices in GroundUp’s possession, some, Otherwise all, from the products appear to be devices which was illegally faraway from the CTMCA’s former premises. Stemmet is dealing with costs for this removing.

In accordance with the remaining development report submitted towards the NLC from the CTMCA, the equipment was ordered from Martin-Conne Milliners, a firm during which Stemmet, his spouse and his daughter had been administrators at the time.

The investigators uncovered this “alarming”.

“Through the CIPC search of Martin-Conne Milliners plus the invoices submitted, we Be aware the next alarming getting: Mr Stemmet himself can be a director of Martin-Conne Milliners. The registered tackle of the corporation is five Crete Highway, Wetton, Cape City, a similar handle on which the museum was meant to be crafted and/or transformed,” they documented.

An audit by accountants Kopano Incorporated, connected for the investigative report, recorded which the CTMCA was in the entire process of acquiring “machinery, plant and inventory” valued at R8.1-million from Stalph 164 CC, investing as Martin-Conne Milliners. Staph 164 was an in depth corporation of which Stemmet was certainly one of the administrators.

According to Dabishi Nthambeleni, the company has compensated R1.two-million for a deposit, this means R6.9-million remains to be owed, even though there is absolutely no payment date established for when this should be paid out.

The Kopano audit and also the close connection amongst the businesses “point out to us that there's ‘foul play’ associated with the acquisition in the machinery in the museum workshop”, the investigators mentioned from the report.

“We discover that it is remarkably possible that CTMCA applied the funding with the NLC to ‘refund’ one of its main administrators for that assets at a better overpriced price than the particular selling price and worth of the home and/or machinery.”

Suggestions
Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded that it had been unable to determine how the grant on the CTMCA were invested.

“In point of fact, a detailed report on how the funding with the NLC was made use of, would be extremely hard since the CTMCA does not have any receipts, or proof of payments to confirm the quantities used on Every item it asked for funding for. The interim report and final report of the CTMCA only connect invoices,” Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded.

The investigators found that the NLC experienced not executed a web page visit prior to approving the grant. But this was not standard apply at the time they usually observed no evidence of carelessness by NLC personnel.

At the time, the NLC’s regulations did not have to have funded organisations to post proof of payment with interim experiences, they pointed out. This intended that the CTMCA was ready to receive a next tranche of funding without needing to give evidence that it experienced utilized the 1st tranche for its supposed function.

Next the appointment of a different board, commissioner and senior govt workforce, the NLC has tightened up on these and also other challenges.

Dabishi Nthambeleni advisable that

the NLC decrease any foreseeable future funding purposes from your CTMCA;
the CTMCA and any members who were being linked to the grant be subjected to the NLC’s “delinquency” process;
the NLC open a prison situation of fraud with SAPS or perhaps the Hawks for allegations of fraud; and
the NLC start the entire process of recovering the misappropriated resources.
But, as opposed to act to the report’s recommendations, the NLC – under its earlier administration – chose to suppress it, since it had finished With all the earlier studies into corruption it had commissioned.

GroundUp despatched inquiries to Stemmet and Soeker through SMS, and asked for electronic mail addresses to ship the concerns by electronic mail way too. 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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