Minstrels accomplish in Athlone on 2 January 2017. Archive Image: Ashraf Hendricks
A report by Lawyers Dabishi Nthambeleni into a R27.three-million grant through the Countrywide Lotteries Commission into the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) for any minstrels museum has found no evidence that a museum at any time existed.
The investigators observed the CTMCA did not use the R5-million allotted to get or produce a museum.
Additionally they identified that the CTMCA only acquired land value R1.seven-million, not R5-million as allocated.
They discovered the CTMCA used money within the Lottery to acquire workshop products from considered one of its very own administrators, Richard “Pot” Stemmet.
A leaked forensic report reveals how an incredible number of rand granted towards the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) via the Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) to setup a museum to celebrate the town’s abundant minstrel record went astray. The museum was by no means made.
The details of the abuse of an incredible number of rands of Lottery resources for your museum that by no means was are uncovered within an investigative report commissioned because of the NLC in 2021.
The museum grant was Section of greater than R64-million in Lottery cash allotted for the CTMCA between 2003 and 2017.
The main Section of the investigation, by regulation agency Dabishi Nthambeleni, was conducted amongst September 2020 and January 2021 and centered on a R27.3-million grant into the CTMCA in 2014, which incorporated funding for that museum. The accredited spending budget for that museum was over R12.eight-million, with R5-million of that allocated for any setting up to deal with the museum.
Browse the report (PDF, 7MB)
The NLC tasked Dabishi Nthambeleni to investigate the purchase of a building to the museum and whether the museum “in fact existed”.
The company was also instructed to investigate
the acquisition with Lottery resources of two vehicles – a 60-seater bus plus a 23-seater bus – for R2.4-million; and
different equipment “purchased with the producing of your costumes and hats” for the minstrels carnival, for R5.four-million.
At the time, convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet was director of the CTMCA. He was appointed a director with the CTMCA in September 1996. He resigned in December 2016 but his wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued as two of several directors in the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as a director in May perhaps 2021.
The investigation followed substantial reporting by GroundUp with regard to the countless rands of Lottery funding allotted to the CTMCA (see in this article, listed here and right here) and just how the funds possibly aided finance the ANC’s 2014 election marketing campaign in the Western Cape, led by at some time by Marius Fransman.
The setting up on the right was the supposed website with the minstrels’ museum, in the midst of an industrial space in Primrose Park, Cape City. Photo: Raymond Joseph
In reaction to a Parliamentary problem, former NLC Commissioner Thabang Mampane outlined grants to three CTMCA “jobs” - including the museum - amongst 2012 and 2015. All 3 assignments had been concluded, she told MPs.
Even so the investigators located no proof that a museum had at any time existed.
At the beginning the museum was due to open up in rented premises in Crete Street, Wetton. A photograph attained by GroundUp from the supposed Wetton museum shows a espresso shop with some musical devices and minstrel costumes and collages of photographs haphazardly hung on the partitions, as well as a design ship on its plinth in a very corner.
In its report, Dabishi Nthambeleni said it had been “not ready” to verify if a museum had ever operated from these premises.
Stemmet told the investigators the museum were moved simply because they could now not find the money for the rent of R100,000 a month. He reported the CTMCA experienced bought home for R1.seven-million in Schaapkraal to the museum, but couldn't get it rezoned, and were offered for the same selling price. Schaapkraal is inside a peri-urban place considerably from the city.
Consequently, the museum were moved to a fresh area in Primrose Park in February 2021, Stemmet informed the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators. But after viewing the premises, which might be in an industrial spot, the investigators said they doubted irrespective of whether a correct museum existed there. Pics hooked up on the report show a mishmash of randomly displayed uniforms, musical instruments and diverse minstrel paraphernalia nailed to the wall, displayed on tables and unfold out on the floor, without any explanation.
“You will find a minimal level of objects with the museum [that] under no circumstances depict the a lot more than one hundred-year history of your Cape City Carnival, the investigators stated, introducing that there was “no signage exterior the premises indicating which they housed a museum and … typically, the museum does not look to be open up to the general public.”
The CTMCA had breached the grant agreement, Dabishi Nthambeleni famous, by going The situation with the museum to an alternate locale without having notifying the NLC.
The Schaapkraal home, on which no museum was at any time constructed. Picture: Raymond Joseph
Buses
Stemmet explained to the investigators that the CTMCA experienced to maneuver in the rented Crete Road premises because it experienced run up a R4-million credit card debt with the City of Cape City and was fearful its products could well be hooked up.
“Mainly because of the authorized battles along with the debts, the organisation had to move its assets from 5 Crete Street to avoid the sheriff from attaching the property of your organisation,” Stemmet instructed the investigators.
Sedrick Soeker, the current director of your CTMCA, advised them which the two buses bought with lottery resources ended up stored in a very key place “concealed through the Sheriff”. Even so the investigators explained they were being unable to confirm that any buses had at any time been acquired.
Stemmet also confirmed that the buses were concealed to halt them staying seized. But if the investigators asked to generally be taken into the put the place the buses had been saved, he advised them that “the operator of The key locale was not accessible to open up the premises for us”.
“The CTMCA could not deliver proof of payment for 2 cars that it allegedly acquired with grant dollars,” the investigators described.
Soeker also told them the Schaapkraal residence were offered because of the credit card debt.
“Mr Soeker discussed that As outlined by his knowing, mainly because of the financial debt owed to the town of Cape Town, the CTMCA made a decision It will be best to promote their [Schaapkraal] home … and to also to hide the belongings in the CTMCA to steer clear of the sheriff from attaching the assets.”
JP Smith, Cape Town’s mayco member for basic safety and protection, has Formerly instructed GroundUp that the CTMCA “threw revenue absent” on litigation with town.
“Every year like clockwork, as we technique the top with the year, the CTMCA picks a legal combat with town, above permits or another thing. We never initiate it. They hold throwing funds away on vexatious litigation they shed and also have charges awarded versus them. This really is totally self-inflicted,” he said.
Soeker told the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators that the principle role players on problems with Lottery funding were Stemmet and former CTMCA board member Kevin Momberg, “who had been in command of all of the admin, finances and running ผล หวย ลาว วัน นี้ the CTMCA.” The investigators mentioned they had been unable to Get in touch with Momberg.
Hats
In the course of their “investigation in loco” in the Primrose Park premises, the investigators “found various devices, some in excellent condition, some in lousy affliction and many that looked rusty and intensely previous”. Stemmet explained to the investigators that there was also an off-web site storage facility wherever “instruments and a few equipment” had been retained.
“We asked him to get us to the ability but he was evasive to our request.”
Depending on images and invoices in GroundUp’s possession, some, Otherwise all, on the goods seem like products that was illegally removed from the CTMCA’s previous premises. Stemmet is facing charges for this elimination.
According to the remaining progress report submitted into the NLC with the CTMCA, the machinery was acquired from Martin-Conne Milliners, a business during which Stemmet, his spouse and his daughter have been administrators at the time.
The investigators observed this “alarming”.
“From your CIPC research of Martin-Conne Milliners and the invoices submitted, we Notice the subsequent alarming locating: Mr Stemmet himself is usually a director of Martin-Conne Milliners. The registered address of the business is 5 Crete Street, Wetton, Cape Town, a similar handle on which the museum was meant to be developed and/or converted,” they claimed.
An audit by accountants Kopano Integrated, attached to your investigative report, recorded that the CTMCA was in the whole process of obtaining “machinery, 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 one of the directors.
In keeping with Dabishi Nthambeleni, the corporation has paid R1.2-million being a deposit, this means R6.9-million continues to be owed, however there is no payment date set for when this need to be paid out.
The Kopano audit plus the near backlink involving the businesses “reveal to us that there is ‘foul Perform’ involved in the acquisition with the machinery of your museum workshop”, the investigators claimed while in the report.
“We discover that it is extremely possible that CTMCA utilized the funding of your NLC to ‘refund’ considered one of its principal administrators for the house at the next overpriced charge than the particular rate and value of the residence and/or machinery.”
Recommendations
Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded that it had been not able to determine how the grant for the CTMCA were spent.
“Actually, a detailed report on how the funding in the NLC was utilised, can be extremely hard as being the CTMCA does not have any receipts, or proof of payments to substantiate the amounts spent on Every product it requested funding for. The interim report and final report with the CTMCA only attach invoices,” Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded.
The investigators found the NLC experienced not executed a web site visit right before approving the grant. But this was not conventional follow at the time they usually identified no proof of carelessness by NLC staff.
At some time, the NLC’s guidelines did not involve funded organisations to submit proof of payment with interim reviews, they pointed out. This meant that the CTMCA was capable to receive a second tranche of funding without needing to give proof that it experienced employed the 1st tranche for its meant function.
Pursuing the appointment of a new board, commissioner and senior govt staff, the NLC has tightened up on these and various challenges.
Dabishi Nthambeleni advisable that
the NLC drop any long run funding applications with the CTMCA;
the CTMCA and any members who ended up involved in the grant be subjected into the NLC’s “delinquency” method;
the NLC open up a prison case of fraud with SAPS or the Hawks for allegations of fraud; and
the NLC commence the entire process of recovering the misappropriated resources.
But, instead of act about the report’s suggestions, the NLC – underneath its former administration – selected to suppress it, since it had completed With all the earlier reviews into corruption it had commissioned.
GroundUp despatched issues to Stemmet and Soeker through SMS, and asked for electronic mail addresses to ship the concerns by electronic mail way too. But no response had been received at enough time of publication.
The minstrel “museum” in Crete Road, Wetton. Picture: Raymond Joseph
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