Minstrels carry out in Athlone on two January 2017. Archive photo: Ashraf Hendricks
A report by attorneys Dabishi Nthambeleni right into a R27.3-million grant with the National Lotteries Fee to the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) for the minstrels museum has identified no evidence that a museum at any time existed.
The investigators identified the CTMCA didn't utilize the R5-million allocated to buy or develop a museum.
Additionally they located the CTMCA only acquired land really worth R1.7-million, not R5-million as allotted.
They found the CTMCA employed cash within the Lottery to get workshop devices from one of its own directors, Richard “Pot” Stemmet.
A leaked forensic report reveals how numerous rand granted into the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) by the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) to create a museum to celebrate the city’s wealthy minstrel heritage went astray. The museum was never ever developed.
The main points with the abuse of millions of rands of Lottery money for just a museum that never ever was are unveiled within an investigative report commissioned via the NLC in 2021.
The museum grant was Portion of much more than R64-million in Lottery funds allotted to your CTMCA involving 2003 and 2017.
The 1st Element of the investigation, by law business Dabishi Nthambeleni, was done amongst September 2020 and January 2021 and centered on a R27.3-million grant towards the CTMCA in 2014, which incorporated funding for your museum. The authorised funds with the museum was in excess of R12.eight-million, with R5-million of that allotted for any creating to deal with the museum.
Read through the report (PDF, 7MB)
The NLC tasked Dabishi Nthambeleni to analyze the acquisition of a creating to the museum and whether the museum “actually existed”.
The organization was also instructed to investigate
the purchase with Lottery money of two automobiles – a 60-seater bus in addition to a 23-seater bus – for R2.4-million; and
numerous devices “acquired for the production from the costumes and hats” with the minstrels carnival, for R5.four-million.
At time, convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet was director of the CTMCA. He was appointed a director in the CTMCA in September 1996. He resigned in December 2016 but his spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing as two of many administrators from the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed being a director in May possibly 2021.
The investigation followed comprehensive reporting by GroundUp about the many rands of Lottery funding allocated to your CTMCA (see right here, in this article and right here) and how the funds possibly served finance the ANC’s 2014 election marketing campaign inside the Western Cape, led by at enough time by Marius Fransman.
The making on the right was the supposed web site in the minstrels’ museum, in the midst of an industrial spot in Primrose Park, Cape Town. Photo: Raymond Joseph
In reaction to the Parliamentary problem, former NLC Commissioner Thabang Mampane detailed grants to three CTMCA “jobs” - such as the museum - among 2012 and 2015. All a few initiatives had been done, she advised MPs.
Nevertheless the investigators discovered no evidence that a museum experienced ever existed.
At the beginning the museum was on account of open up in rented premises in Crete Road, Wetton. A photo received by GroundUp of your supposed Wetton museum exhibits a coffee store with a few musical devices and minstrel costumes and collages of shots haphazardly hung around the walls, as well as a design ship on its plinth in the corner.
In its report, Dabishi Nthambeleni claimed it had been “not able” to verify if a museum had at any time operated from these premises.
Stemmet instructed the investigators the museum had been moved given that they could not pay for the hire of R100,000 a month. He stated the CTMCA experienced acquired home for R1.seven-million in Schaapkraal to the museum, but couldn't get it rezoned, and had been marketed for the same selling price. Schaapkraal is within a peri-city region significantly from the city.
Therefore, the museum were moved to a brand new site in Primrose Park in February 2021, Stemmet told the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators. But right after viewing the premises, that are in an industrial region, the investigators mentioned they doubted irrespective of whether an appropriate museum existed there. Shots hooked up to your report exhibit a mishmash of randomly shown uniforms, musical instruments and various minstrel paraphernalia nailed to your wall, displayed on tables and distribute out on the floor, with no rationalization.
“There exists a minimal degree of objects at the museum [that] under no circumstances signify the much more than 100-12 months record in the Cape Town Carnival, the investigators claimed, adding that there was “no signage outdoors the premises indicating that they housed a museum and … normally, the museum won't look to become open to the public.”
The CTMCA experienced breached the grant settlement, Dabishi Nthambeleni observed, by transferring The placement on the museum to an alternate place with out notifying the NLC.
The Schaapkraal property, on which no museum was at any time developed. Photo: Raymond Joseph
Buses
Stemmet explained to the investigators which the CTMCA experienced to move in the rented Crete Street premises as it had run up a R4-million personal debt with the town of Cape Town and was scared its equipment might be hooked up.
“Due to lawful battles and also the debts, the organisation had to maneuver its assets from five Crete Highway to stay away from the sheriff from attaching the assets with the organisation,” Stemmet advised the investigators.
Sedrick Soeker, the current director of your CTMCA, explained to them that the two buses acquired with lottery cash ended up stored inside of a top secret site “hidden in the Sheriff”. However the investigators said they were being not able to confirm that any buses had ever been purchased.
Stemmet also verified which the buses had been concealed to prevent them being seized. But if the investigators asked to become taken for the area where by the buses had been stored, he advised them that “the proprietor of The key place was not accessible to open the premises for us”.
“The CTMCA couldn't supply proof of payment for 2 cars that it allegedly procured with grant revenue,” the investigators claimed.
Soeker also instructed them the Schaapkraal home had been offered due to financial debt.
“Mr Soeker spelled out that In line with his comprehending, mainly because of the credit card debt owed to the City of Cape Town, the CTMCA made the decision It could be best to market their [Schaapkraal] property … and also to also to hide the assets of the CTMCA to avoid the sheriff from attaching the house.”
JP Smith, Cape City’s mayco member for basic safety and security, has previously told GroundUp which the CTMCA “threw dollars away” on litigation with the town.
“Annually like clockwork, as we strategy the top in the calendar year, the CTMCA picks a legal battle with the town, more than permits or something else. We never initiate it. They preserve throwing revenue absent on vexatious litigation which they get rid of and have costs awarded against them. This is often fully self-inflicted,” he mentioned.
Soeker explained to the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators that the leading part gamers on issues of Lottery funding ended up Stemmet and previous CTMCA board member Kevin Momberg, “who had been in charge of every one of the admin, funds and operating ตรวจ หวย ผล สลากกินแบ่ง รัฐบาล งวด the CTMCA.” The investigators mentioned they were not able to contact Momberg.
Hats
All through their “investigation in loco” on the Primrose Park premises, the investigators “found quite a few equipment, some in great issue, some in bad problem and many that appeared rusty and intensely aged”. Stemmet told the investigators that there was also an off-website storage facility in which “instruments and several machinery” were kept.
“We asked him to choose us to the power but he was evasive to our request.”
Depending on pictures and invoices in GroundUp’s possession, some, Otherwise all, with the objects appear to be machines that was illegally faraway from the CTMCA’s preceding premises. Stemmet is dealing with rates for this removal.
In accordance with the last development report submitted to the NLC with the CTMCA, the equipment was bought from Martin-Conne Milliners, a firm by which Stemmet, his wife and his daughter have been administrators at enough time.
The investigators found this “alarming”.
“In the CIPC lookup of Martin-Conne Milliners along with the invoices submitted, we Observe the next alarming obtaining: Mr Stemmet himself is often a director of Martin-Conne Milliners. The registered tackle of the corporate is 5 Crete Road, Wetton, Cape City, precisely the same deal with on which the museum was meant to be designed and/or converted,” they claimed.
An audit by accountants Kopano Integrated, hooked up for the investigative report, recorded which the CTMCA was in the entire process of purchasing “machinery, plant and inventory” valued at R8.one-million from Stalph 164 CC, trading as Martin-Conne Milliners. Staph 164 was an in depth Company of which Stemmet was certainly one of the directors.
Based on Dabishi Nthambeleni, the business has compensated R1.two-million to be a deposit, which means R6.9-million continues to be owed, even though there is not any payment day established for when this need to be paid out.
The Kopano audit plus the near website link in between the companies “suggest to us that there's ‘foul Perform’ involved in the acquisition in the equipment on the museum workshop”, the investigators stated in the report.
“We find that it's extremely possible that CTMCA utilized the funding with the NLC to ‘refund’ among its most important directors to the residence at a higher overpriced charge than the particular selling price and price of the property and/or machinery.”
Recommendations
Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded that it was unable to establish how the grant for the CTMCA had been invested.
“Actually, a detailed report on how the funding from the NLC was utilized, could be unattainable because the CTMCA doesn't have any receipts, or proof of payments to confirm the quantities invested on Every product it requested funding for. The interim report and remaining report on the CTMCA only attach invoices,” Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded.
The investigators located that the NLC had not done a web site visit ahead of approving the grant. But this wasn't regular follow at some time and they identified no evidence of negligence by NLC personnel.
At some time, the NLC’s rules didn't require funded organisations to post evidence of payment with interim stories, they identified. This meant that the CTMCA was in a position to receive a next tranche of funding without the need to present proof that it experienced made use of the main tranche for its meant objective.
Following the appointment of a completely new board, commissioner and senior government team, the NLC has tightened up on these and various troubles.
Dabishi Nthambeleni suggested that
the NLC decrease any future funding programs within the CTMCA;
the CTMCA and any associates who have been linked to the grant be subjected towards the NLC’s “delinquency” approach;
the NLC open up a felony scenario of fraud with SAPS or maybe the Hawks for allegations of fraud; and
the NLC begin the process of recovering the misappropriated funds.
But, instead of act around the report’s recommendations, the NLC – less than its former administration – selected to suppress it, because it experienced finished Along with the preceding reviews into corruption it experienced commissioned.
GroundUp sent thoughts to Stemmet and Soeker through SMS, and questioned for e mail addresses to send the inquiries by email way too. But no reaction had been acquired at some time of publication.
The minstrel “museum” in Crete Road, Wetton. Photograph: Raymond Joseph
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