Minstrels execute in Athlone on two January 2017. Archive photo: Ashraf Hendricks
A report by Lawyers Dabishi Nthambeleni into a R27.3-million grant because of the National Lotteries Commission on the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) for the minstrels museum has found no evidence that a museum at any time existed.
The investigators discovered that the CTMCA did not make use of the R5-million allotted to order or develop a museum.
They also located that the CTMCA only acquired land truly worth R1.seven-million, not R5-million as allocated.
They uncovered the CTMCA utilized resources from your Lottery to get workshop gear from among its personal administrators, Richard “Pot” Stemmet.
A leaked forensic report reveals how millions of rand granted for the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) from the Countrywide Lotteries Fee (NLC) to put in place a museum to celebrate town’s abundant minstrel historical past went astray. The museum was never ever produced.
The main points with the abuse of countless rands of Lottery resources for any museum that never was are disclosed within an investigative report commissioned from the NLC in 2021.
The museum grant was A part of over R64-million in Lottery resources allocated for the CTMCA concerning 2003 and 2017.
The very first part of the investigation, by law organization Dabishi Nthambeleni, was done among September 2020 and January 2021 and centered on a R27.3-million grant for the CTMCA in 2014, which integrated funding for the museum. The authorised finances with the museum was a lot more than R12.eight-million, with R5-million of that allotted for your making to house the museum.
Read through the report (PDF, 7MB)
The NLC tasked Dabishi Nthambeleni to analyze the purchase of the creating for the museum and whether the museum “in fact existed”.
The business was also instructed to analyze
the acquisition with Lottery resources of two cars – a sixty-seater bus along with a 23-seater bus – for R2.four-million; and
various equipment “ordered for your production of the costumes and hats” for your minstrels carnival, for R5.4-million.
At some time, convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet was director on the CTMCA. He was appointed a director of your CTMCA in September 1996. He resigned in December 2016 but his spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing as two of a number of administrators of the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed for a director in Might 2021.
The investigation adopted intensive reporting by GroundUp concerning the countless rands of Lottery funding allotted towards the CTMCA (see in this article, right here and here) and how the cash probably assisted finance the ANC’s 2014 election marketing campaign inside the Western Cape, led by at the time by Marius Fransman.
The making on the appropriate was the intended web site from the minstrels’ museum, in the midst of an industrial space in Primrose Park, Cape Town. Photo: Raymond Joseph
In response into a Parliamentary question, former NLC Commissioner Thabang Mampane detailed grants to a few CTMCA “jobs” - including the museum - concerning 2012 and 2015. All a few jobs were completed, she advised MPs.
Even so the investigators found no proof that a museum experienced ever existed.
At the outset the museum was resulting from open in rented premises in Crete Street, Wetton. A photograph attained by GroundUp from the meant Wetton museum exhibits a coffee shop with a few musical instruments and minstrel costumes and collages of photographs haphazardly hung on the walls, along with a product ship on its plinth within a corner.
In its report, Dabishi Nthambeleni mentioned it absolutely was “not in a position” to substantiate if a museum had ever operated from these premises.
Stemmet told the investigators the museum had been moved mainly because they could now not pay for the hire of R100,000 a month. He explained the CTMCA had acquired residence for R1.7-million in Schaapkraal for your museum, but could not get it rezoned, and were offered for a similar price tag. Schaapkraal is within a peri-urban region far from town.
Because of this, the museum had been moved to a fresh location in Primrose Park in February 2021, Stemmet told the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators. But after browsing the premises, that happen to be within an industrial spot, the investigators mentioned they doubted no matter whether an appropriate museum existed there. Images attached for the report clearly show a mishmash of randomly exhibited uniforms, musical devices and diverse minstrel paraphernalia nailed to the wall, displayed on tables and distribute out on the ground, without having rationalization.
“There is a minimal degree of goods with the museum [that] by no means symbolize the over 100-calendar year history of your Cape City Carnival, the investigators explained, including that there was “no signage outside the premises indicating that they housed a museum and … frequently, the museum will not appear being open to the public.”
The CTMCA had breached the grant arrangement, Dabishi Nthambeleni pointed out, by shifting The placement of the museum to an alternative area without notifying the NLC.
The Schaapkraal home, on which no museum was at any time built. Photograph: Raymond Joseph
Buses
Stemmet instructed the investigators the CTMCA experienced to move through the rented Crete Road premises mainly because it experienced run up a R4-million personal debt with the town of Cape Town and was scared its gear could well be connected.
“A result of the lawful battles as well as debts, the organisation had to move its property from five Crete Street to avoid the sheriff from attaching the assets from the organisation,” Stemmet instructed the investigators.
Sedrick Soeker, The present director of the CTMCA, advised them which the two buses purchased with lottery money have been saved in a top secret place “concealed through the Sheriff”. However the investigators said they had been unable to confirm that any buses experienced at any time been acquired.
Stemmet also verified that the buses had been hidden to prevent them getting seized. But if the investigators questioned to become taken on the position wherever the buses ended up stored, he informed them that “the operator of The key area wasn't accessible to open the premises for us”.
“The CTMCA could not offer evidence of payment for two vehicles that it allegedly procured with grant revenue,” the investigators claimed.
Soeker also told them the Schaapkraal house were sold as a result of debt.
“Mr Soeker stated that according to his knowledge, because of the credit card debt owed to the town of Cape Town, the CTMCA decided It will be very best to market their [Schaapkraal] residence … and also to also to cover the property on the CTMCA to stay away from the sheriff from attaching the home.”
JP Smith, Cape City’s mayco member for basic safety and security, has Beforehand advised GroundUp the CTMCA “threw income away” on litigation with the City.
“Every year like clockwork, as we method the tip on the 12 months, the CTMCA picks a legal fight with town, about permits or something else. We in no way initiate it. They maintain throwing dollars away on vexatious litigation which they eliminate and possess fees awarded versus them. This really is fully self-inflicted,” he reported.
Soeker explained to the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators that the key job players on problems with Lottery funding have been Stemmet and previous CTMCA board member Kevin Momberg, “who have been in command of many of the admin, finances and managing หวย วัน นี้ the CTMCA.” The investigators claimed they were not able to Speak to Momberg.
Hats
For the duration of their “investigation in loco” at the Primrose Park premises, the investigators “discovered numerous equipment, some in fantastic condition, some in bad problem plus some that looked rusty and extremely outdated”. Stemmet told the investigators that there was also an off-internet site storage facility where “instruments plus some equipment” had been held.
“We questioned him to get us to the power but he was evasive to our ask for.”
According to photographs and invoices in GroundUp’s possession, some, if not all, from the things appear to be equipment which was illegally removed from the CTMCA’s preceding premises. Stemmet is dealing with costs for this removing.
Based on the final development report submitted for the NLC by the CTMCA, the machinery was purchased from Martin-Conne Milliners, a firm through which Stemmet, his spouse and his daughter have been administrators at time.
The investigators uncovered this “alarming”.
“From your CIPC research of Martin-Conne Milliners as well as the invoices submitted, we Observe the subsequent alarming discovering: Mr Stemmet himself can be a director of Martin-Conne Milliners. The registered tackle of the corporation is five Crete Road, Wetton, Cape City, exactly the same address on which the museum was intended to be built and/or transformed,” they described.
An audit by accountants Kopano Integrated, attached to the investigative report, recorded the CTMCA was in the entire process of buying “equipment, plant and stock” 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 amongst the administrators.
In keeping with Dabishi Nthambeleni, the business has compensated R1.two-million like a deposit, indicating R6.nine-million is still owed, even though there is no payment date established for when this has to be paid out.
The Kopano audit as well as close link in between the companies “indicate to us that there's ‘foul Participate in’ linked to the acquisition of your equipment in the museum workshop”, the investigators said during the report.
“We find that it's really probable that CTMCA made use of the funding in the NLC to ‘refund’ one of its major administrators for the house at the next overpriced charge than the particular price and value of the house and/or machinery.”
Suggestions
Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded that it absolutely was not able to ascertain how the grant to your CTMCA were expended.
“In reality, a detailed report on how the funding of the NLC was utilized, could be extremely hard since the CTMCA doesn't have any receipts, or proof of payments to substantiate the quantities invested on Each and every product it asked for funding for. The interim report and ultimate report from the CTMCA only connect invoices,” Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded.
The investigators observed that the NLC experienced not performed a web page pay a visit to before approving the grant. But this was not typical practice at enough time they usually discovered no proof of carelessness by NLC personnel.
At the time, the NLC’s policies didn't need funded organisations to submit proof of payment with interim studies, they identified. This meant that the CTMCA was capable of receive a next tranche of funding without having to supply proof that it experienced made use of the first tranche for its supposed reason.
Pursuing the appointment of a completely new board, commissioner and senior government staff, the NLC has tightened up on these as well as other issues.
Dabishi Nthambeleni proposed that
the NLC decrease any long term funding applications with the CTMCA;
the CTMCA and any associates who ended up involved in the grant be subjected on the NLC’s “delinquency” process;
the NLC open a legal scenario of fraud with SAPS or maybe the Hawks for allegations of fraud; and
the NLC start the process of recovering the misappropriated money.
But, as an alternative to act over the report’s tips, the NLC – underneath its former administration – selected to suppress it, since it had accomplished Together with the earlier reviews into corruption it had commissioned.
GroundUp sent concerns to Stemmet and Soeker via SMS, and questioned for e-mail addresses to send the issues by e-mail too. But no response were received at time of publication.
The minstrel “museum” in Crete Highway, Wetton. Photo: Raymond Joseph
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