Minstrels conduct in Athlone on two January 2017. Archive Image: Ashraf Hendricks
A report by Lawyers Dabishi Nthambeleni into a R27.3-million grant because of the National Lotteries Fee to your Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) for your minstrels museum has discovered no proof that a museum ever existed.
The investigators located that the CTMCA did not use the R5-million allocated to order or establish a museum.
Additionally they uncovered the CTMCA only bought land truly worth R1.seven-million, not R5-million as allotted.
They identified the CTMCA applied cash through the Lottery to buy workshop products from one of its have directors, Richard “Pot” Stemmet.
A leaked forensic report reveals how numerous rand granted for the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) via the Countrywide Lotteries Fee (NLC) to setup a museum to celebrate the city’s loaded minstrel record went astray. The museum was in no way produced.
The details in the abuse of an incredible number of rands of Lottery funds for your museum that never ever was are unveiled within an investigative report commissioned via the NLC in 2021.
The museum grant was Component of greater than R64-million in Lottery funds allocated to your CTMCA involving 2003 and 2017.
The main Section of the investigation, by law firm Dabishi Nthambeleni, was conducted involving September 2020 and January 2021 and focused on a R27.three-million grant for the CTMCA in 2014, which involved funding for that museum. The accepted spending budget with the museum was more than R12.eight-million, with R5-million of that allocated to get a building to house the museum.
Read through the report (PDF, 7MB)
The NLC tasked Dabishi Nthambeleni to research the acquisition of a constructing to the museum and whether the museum “in fact existed”.
The organization was also instructed to analyze
the purchase with Lottery funds of two vehicles – a 60-seater bus and also a 23-seater bus – for R2.four-million; and
a variety of machines “obtained for your production with the costumes and hats” with the minstrels carnival, for R5.4-million.
At the time, convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet was director with the CTMCA. He was appointed a director on the CTMCA in September 1996. He resigned in December 2016 but his spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing as two of quite a few directors of the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed being a director in May 2021.
The investigation followed considerable reporting by GroundUp with regard to the numerous rands of Lottery funding allotted on the CTMCA (see listed here, in this article and right here) and just how the money most likely helped finance the ANC’s 2014 election campaign from the Western Cape, led by at enough time by Marius Fransman.
The making on the proper was the intended internet site in the minstrels’ museum, in the middle of an industrial space in Primrose Park, Cape Town. Image: Raymond Joseph
In reaction to the Parliamentary issue, former NLC Commissioner Thabang Mampane mentioned grants to 3 CTMCA “initiatives” - including the museum - concerning 2012 and 2015. All a few assignments had been accomplished, she told MPs.
However the investigators located no evidence that a museum experienced at any time existed.
Initially the museum was on account of open in rented premises in Crete Road, Wetton. A photograph obtained by GroundUp from the meant Wetton museum displays a espresso shop with a few musical devices and minstrel costumes and collages of shots haphazardly hung about the partitions, and a design ship on its plinth within a corner.
In its report, Dabishi Nthambeleni mentioned it was “not able” to confirm if a museum had at any time operated from these premises.
Stemmet explained to the investigators the museum had been moved since they could no more afford the rent of R100,000 per month. He claimed the CTMCA had ordered assets for R1.7-million in Schaapkraal with the museum, but could not get it rezoned, and had been bought for the same price. Schaapkraal is in the peri-city region significantly from the city.
Therefore, the museum had been moved to a different area in Primrose Park in February 2021, Stemmet instructed the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators. But after checking out the premises, which happen to be in an industrial place, the investigators said they doubted whether or not a correct museum existed there. Pictures hooked up to the report present a mishmash of randomly shown uniforms, musical instruments and diverse minstrel paraphernalia nailed to your wall, exhibited on tables and distribute out on the ground, with no clarification.
“There is a minimal volume of goods within the museum [that] in no way represent the greater than 100-year history from the Cape City Carnival, the investigators mentioned, including that there was “no signage outside the house the premises indicating that they housed a museum and … generally, the museum isn't going to search to generally be open to the public.”
The CTMCA had breached the grant agreement, Dabishi Nthambeleni observed, by transferring the location in the museum to another location devoid of notifying the NLC.
The Schaapkraal property, on which no museum was ever developed. Photo: Raymond Joseph
Buses
Stemmet advised the investigators which the CTMCA experienced to maneuver within the rented Crete Street premises since it had run up a R4-million debt with town of Cape Town and was frightened its equipment will be attached.
“As a result of legal battles and also the debts, the organisation experienced to move its home from five Crete Highway to avoid the sheriff from attaching the assets with the organisation,” Stemmet informed the investigators.
Sedrick Soeker, The existing director of the CTMCA, advised them the two buses acquired with lottery funds had been stored in the top secret location “concealed with the Sheriff”. Although the investigators explained they had been unable to verify that any buses had at any time been bought.
Stemmet also verified the buses had been concealed to prevent them being seized. But in the event the investigators asked to become taken towards the location where the buses had been saved, he instructed them that “the proprietor of the secret place was not accessible to open up the premises for us”.
“The CTMCA could not supply evidence of payment for 2 automobiles that it allegedly procured with grant funds,” the investigators reported.
Soeker also explained to them the Schaapkraal residence had been offered due to debt.
“Mr Soeker explained that In accordance with his being familiar with, mainly because of the debt owed to the City of Cape City, the CTMCA resolved It will be very best to market their [Schaapkraal] home … and to also to cover the belongings of the CTMCA to avoid the sheriff from attaching the residence.”
JP Smith, Cape City’s mayco member for protection and security, has Beforehand explained to GroundUp which the CTMCA “threw money away” on litigation with the town.
“Every year like clockwork, as we tactic the tip in the year, the CTMCA picks a authorized struggle with town, in excess of permits or something else. We by no means initiate it. They preserve throwing money absent on vexatious litigation that they get rid of and have expenditures awarded towards them. This is often totally self-inflicted,” he said.
Soeker informed the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators that the key purpose players on issues of Lottery funding ended up Stemmet and previous CTMCA board member Kevin Momberg, “who were in command of every one of the admin, finances and jogging ผล สลาก the CTMCA.” The investigators reported they were not able to Speak to Momberg.
Hats
All through their “investigation in loco” within the Primrose Park premises, the investigators “uncovered quite a few machines, some in fantastic situation, some in lousy affliction and a few that appeared rusty and very outdated”. Stemmet told the investigators that there was also an off-web-site storage facility exactly where “instruments and many equipment” had been saved.
“We questioned him to consider us to the facility but he was evasive to our ask for.”
Determined by pics and invoices in GroundUp’s possession, some, Otherwise all, with the merchandise seem like tools that was illegally faraway from the CTMCA’s past premises. Stemmet is facing rates for this elimination.
According to the remaining development report submitted to your NLC with the CTMCA, the equipment was acquired from Martin-Conne Milliners, a corporation wherein Stemmet, his wife and his daughter have been administrators at some time.
The investigators found this “alarming”.
“With the CIPC look for of Martin-Conne Milliners as well as the invoices submitted, we Observe the subsequent alarming getting: Mr Stemmet himself can be a director of Martin-Conne Milliners. The registered tackle of the corporation is five Crete Road, Wetton, Cape City, the identical deal with on which the museum was intended to be built and/or transformed,” they documented.
An audit by accountants Kopano Integrated, attached into the investigative report, recorded the CTMCA was in the entire process of buying “machinery, plant and stock” valued at R8.one-million from Stalph 164 CC, buying and selling as Martin-Conne Milliners. Staph 164 was a close Company of which Stemmet was amongst the administrators.
In keeping with Dabishi Nthambeleni, the business has compensated R1.2-million to be a deposit, which means R6.nine-million remains owed, even though there is not any payment date set for when this have to be paid out.
The Kopano audit as well as shut backlink concerning the businesses “suggest to us that there is ‘foul Perform’ involved with the acquisition with the equipment of your museum workshop”, the investigators said while in the report.
“We find that it is highly possible that CTMCA used the funding of the NLC to ‘refund’ one of its main administrators for your property at the next overpriced amount than the actual value and value of the assets and/or machinery.”
Tips
Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded that it had been not able to establish how the grant into the CTMCA had been put in.
“In reality, a detailed report on how the funding of your NLC was employed, might be impossible as the CTMCA doesn't have any receipts, or evidence of payments to verify the amounts put in on Just about every merchandise it requested funding for. The interim report and final report of your CTMCA only connect invoices,” Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded.
The investigators observed the NLC had not done a site visit prior to approving the grant. But this wasn't normal practice at enough time and they observed no proof of negligence by NLC workforce.
At time, the NLC’s procedures did not demand funded organisations to post proof of payment with interim studies, they identified. This intended which the CTMCA was in a position to receive a 2nd tranche of funding while not having to present proof that it experienced utilised the primary tranche for its meant goal.
Adhering to the appointment of a different board, commissioner and senior executive team, the NLC has tightened up on these and other difficulties.
Dabishi Nthambeleni advised that
the NLC drop any potential funding purposes through the CTMCA;
the CTMCA and any users who have been linked to the grant be subjected on the NLC’s “delinquency” process;
the NLC open a criminal situation of fraud with SAPS or even the Hawks for allegations of fraud; and
the NLC start off the process of recovering the misappropriated money.
But, in lieu of act on the report’s recommendations, the NLC – under its previous administration – selected to suppress it, as it experienced finished with the prior reviews into corruption it experienced commissioned.
GroundUp despatched inquiries to Stemmet and Soeker through SMS, and questioned for e mail addresses to send out the inquiries by email much too. But no reaction were gained at time of publication.
The minstrel “museum” in Crete Highway, Wetton. Photo: Raymond Joseph
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