Minstrels conduct 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 Fee for the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) to get a minstrels museum has located no proof that a museum at any time existed.
The investigators discovered which the CTMCA did not use the R5-million allocated to buy or make a museum.
They also located which the CTMCA only bought land worthy of R1.seven-million, not R5-million as allocated.
They identified the CTMCA applied funds through the Lottery to invest in workshop equipment from among its possess directors, Richard “Pot” Stemmet.
A leaked forensic report reveals how a lot of rand granted to the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) by the Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) to setup a museum to celebrate the city’s prosperous minstrel heritage went astray. The museum was in no way developed.
The small print from the abuse of millions of rands of Lottery money for any museum that under no circumstances was are discovered within an investigative report commissioned from the NLC in 2021.
The museum grant was A part of more than R64-million in Lottery resources allotted for the CTMCA involving 2003 and 2017.
The very first Component of the investigation, by regulation company Dabishi Nthambeleni, was carried out amongst September 2020 and January 2021 and centered on a R27.three-million grant to your CTMCA in 2014, which included funding for the museum. The accredited finances for that museum was in excess of R12.8-million, with R5-million of that allotted for the constructing to house the museum.
Study the report (PDF, 7MB)
The NLC tasked Dabishi Nthambeleni to investigate the purchase of the making for the museum and whether or not the museum “really existed”.
The business was also instructed to investigate
the purchase with Lottery funds of two autos – a sixty-seater bus plus a 23-seater bus – for R2.4-million; and
a variety of machines “bought to the manufacturing with the costumes and hats” for the minstrels carnival, for R5.4-million.
At some time, convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet was director of 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 continued as two of various directors from the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as being a director in May well 2021.
The investigation adopted extensive reporting by GroundUp concerning the millions of rands of Lottery funding allocated into the CTMCA (see listed here, right here and listed here) and the best way the funds possibly assisted finance the ANC’s 2014 election marketing campaign from the Western Cape, led by at the time by Marius Fransman.
The building on the right was the meant web page on the minstrels’ museum, in the midst of an industrial region in Primrose Park, Cape Town. Image: Raymond Joseph
In response to your Parliamentary issue, former NLC Commissioner Thabang Mampane detailed grants to three CTMCA “assignments” - such as the museum - concerning 2012 and 2015. All three assignments had been accomplished, she instructed MPs.
But the investigators found no proof 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 received by GroundUp in the intended Wetton museum shows a coffee store with some musical instruments and minstrel costumes and collages of photos haphazardly hung to the partitions, as well as a product ship on its plinth within a corner.
In its report, Dabishi Nthambeleni reported it was “not ready” to substantiate if a museum experienced at any time operated from these premises.
Stemmet instructed the investigators the museum were moved because they could now not find the money for the lease of R100,000 a month. He mentioned the CTMCA had purchased property for R1.7-million in Schaapkraal for the museum, but couldn't get it rezoned, and had been marketed for the same cost. Schaapkraal is inside of a peri-city place much from town.
Therefore, the museum were moved to a brand new spot in Primrose Park in February 2021, Stemmet explained to the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators. But following checking out the premises, which happen to be within an industrial space, the investigators reported they doubted regardless of whether a correct museum existed there. Pictures hooked up to your report exhibit a mishmash of randomly shown uniforms, musical devices and various minstrel paraphernalia nailed into the wall, exhibited on tables and distribute out on the ground, without clarification.
“There exists a small number of objects on the museum [that] in no way stand for the greater than a hundred-year record on the Cape City Carnival, the investigators stated, incorporating that there was “no signage outside the house the premises indicating that they housed a museum and … typically, the museum won't appear to get open to the public.”
The CTMCA had breached the grant agreement, Dabishi Nthambeleni famous, by transferring The situation with the museum to another locale without the need of notifying the NLC.
The Schaapkraal assets, on which no museum was at any time crafted. Image: Raymond Joseph
Buses
Stemmet instructed the investigators the CTMCA had to maneuver in the rented Crete Street premises mainly because it experienced run up a R4-million debt with town of Cape City and was scared its tools could well be connected.
“Due to legal battles as well as debts, the organisation had to move its house from five Crete Highway to avoid the sheriff from attaching the residence in the organisation,” Stemmet instructed the investigators.
Sedrick Soeker, the current director on the CTMCA, explained to them which the two buses bought with lottery resources were stored in a key site “concealed with the Sheriff”. But the investigators reported they ended up unable to substantiate that any buses had at any time been bought.
Stemmet also verified that the buses had been concealed to stop them remaining seized. But once the investigators questioned for being taken into the spot where the buses have been saved, he told them that “the owner of The key site wasn't accessible to open the premises for us”.
“The CTMCA could not give proof of payment for 2 autos that it allegedly procured with grant cash,” the investigators documented.
Soeker also explained to them the Schaapkraal home had been sold as a result of credit card debt.
“Mr Soeker discussed that according to his knowing, mainly because of the financial debt owed to town of Cape Town, the CTMCA made the decision It could be ideal to offer their [Schaapkraal] home … 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 protection, has Formerly informed GroundUp that the CTMCA “threw funds away” on litigation with town.
“Yearly like clockwork, as we technique the end of the year, the CTMCA picks a authorized fight with the town, above permits or something else. We never ever initiate it. They preserve throwing dollars absent on vexatious litigation which they get rid of and possess costs awarded in opposition to them. This is completely self-inflicted,” he claimed.
Soeker explained to the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators that the main job players on issues of Lottery funding have been Stemmet and former CTMCA board member Kevin Momberg, “who were being in control of each of the admin, funds and running ruay the CTMCA.” The investigators explained they had been unable to Make contact with Momberg.
Hats
In the course of their “investigation in loco” at the Primrose Park premises, the investigators “identified several equipment, some in very good situation, some in poor ailment plus some that seemed rusty and intensely old”. Stemmet explained to the investigators that there was also an off-internet site storage facility where “devices and many equipment” had been stored.
“We questioned him to consider us to the ability but he was evasive to our ask for.”
Based on images and invoices in GroundUp’s possession, some, if not all, of the items appear to be tools that was illegally removed from the CTMCA’s former premises. Stemmet is dealing with fees for this elimination.
Based on the final development report submitted to the NLC via the CTMCA, the machinery was bought from Martin-Conne Milliners, an organization wherein Stemmet, his spouse and his daughter had been directors at time.
The investigators located this “alarming”.
“From the CIPC lookup of Martin-Conne Milliners and the invoices submitted, we Notice the following alarming finding: Mr Stemmet himself can be a director of Martin-Conne Milliners. The registered deal with of the corporate is five Crete Street, Wetton, Cape Town, a similar tackle on which the museum was meant to be built and/or transformed,” they described.
An audit by accountants Kopano Integrated, connected for the investigative report, recorded the CTMCA was in the entire process of getting “machinery, plant and stock” valued at R8.1-million from Stalph 164 CC, trading as Martin-Conne Milliners. Staph 164 was a detailed corporation of which Stemmet was one of the administrators.
In accordance with Dabishi Nthambeleni, the organization has paid R1.2-million as a deposit, indicating R6.nine-million is still owed, even though there isn't any payment date set for when this have to be compensated.
The Kopano audit along with the near connection between the businesses “indicate to us that there is ‘foul Perform’ involved in the acquisition of the machinery of your museum workshop”, the investigators reported within the report.
“We discover that it is remarkably probable that CTMCA used the funding of the NLC to ‘refund’ certainly one of its main administrators for your property at an increased overpriced price than the actual price and worth of the property and/or machinery.”
Recommendations
Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded that it had been not able to establish how the grant for the CTMCA were spent.
“Actually, an in depth report on how the funding of the NLC was utilised, could well be unachievable because the CTMCA doesn't have any receipts, or evidence of payments to verify the quantities put in on Every single item it asked for funding for. The interim report and closing report in the CTMCA only attach invoices,” Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded.
The investigators uncovered the NLC experienced not carried out a web site go to right before approving the grant. But this wasn't normal observe at the time and so they observed no proof of carelessness by NLC workers.
At time, the NLC’s regulations didn't require funded organisations to post evidence of payment with interim studies, they identified. This meant that the CTMCA was capable to receive a second tranche of funding without needing to supply evidence that it experienced employed the very first tranche for its supposed function.
Subsequent the appointment of a brand new board, commissioner and senior govt group, the NLC has tightened up on these as well as other challenges.
Dabishi Nthambeleni suggested that
the NLC decrease any future funding programs with the CTMCA;
the CTMCA and any members who have been linked to the grant be subjected to the NLC’s “delinquency” method;
the NLC open a legal situation of fraud with SAPS or even the Hawks for allegations of fraud; and
the NLC start off the whole process of recovering the misappropriated cash.
But, in lieu of act to the report’s suggestions, the NLC – beneath its earlier administration – chose to suppress it, mainly because it experienced completed With all the previous experiences into corruption it had commissioned.
GroundUp despatched queries to Stemmet and Soeker by using SMS, and requested for electronic mail addresses to ship the concerns 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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