Minstrels carry out in Athlone on 2 January 2017. Archive photo: Ashraf Hendricks
A report by attorneys Dabishi Nthambeleni right into a R27.3-million grant through the National Lotteries Fee for the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) for just a minstrels museum has observed no proof that a museum ever existed.
The investigators uncovered that the CTMCA did not make use of the R5-million allotted to buy or make a museum.
Additionally they discovered which the CTMCA only bought land truly worth R1.7-million, not R5-million as allocated.
They found the CTMCA utilised cash in the Lottery to acquire workshop equipment from among its individual administrators, Richard “Pot” Stemmet.
A leaked forensic report reveals how many rand granted towards the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) through the Countrywide Lotteries Fee (NLC) to create a museum to rejoice the town’s wealthy minstrel record went astray. The museum was by no means established.
The main points on the abuse of a lot of rands of Lottery money for a museum that under no circumstances was are revealed within an investigative report commissioned from the NLC in 2021.
The museum grant was Portion of more than R64-million in Lottery cash allocated to the CTMCA involving 2003 and 2017.
The 1st Component of the investigation, by law firm Dabishi Nthambeleni, was carried out concerning September 2020 and January 2021 and focused on a R27.three-million grant for the CTMCA in 2014, which incorporated funding for the museum. The authorised spending plan with the museum was more than R12.eight-million, with R5-million of that allocated for your constructing to deal with the museum.
Read the report (PDF, 7MB)
The NLC tasked Dabishi Nthambeleni to investigate the acquisition of the constructing to the museum and if the museum “really existed”.
The firm was also instructed to analyze
the purchase with Lottery resources of two cars – a 60-seater bus plus a 23-seater bus – for R2.four-million; and
numerous equipment “procured to the manufacturing on the costumes and hats” to the minstrels carnival, for R5.4-million.
At the time, convicted prison 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 wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing as two of several directors with the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed for a director in Could 2021.
The investigation followed substantial reporting by GroundUp with regards to the countless rands of Lottery funding allocated to the CTMCA (see below, here and listed here) and just how the cash probably aided finance the ANC’s 2014 election marketing campaign inside the Western Cape, led by at enough time by Marius Fransman.
The setting up on the proper was the supposed web-site of the minstrels’ museum, in the middle of an industrial region in Primrose Park, Cape Town. Photo: Raymond Joseph
In reaction to a Parliamentary query, previous NLC Commissioner Thabang Mampane listed grants to 3 CTMCA “projects” - including the museum - between 2012 and 2015. All a few projects had been done, she told MPs.
But the investigators uncovered no proof that a museum experienced ever existed.
In the beginning the museum was resulting from open in rented premises in Crete Street, Wetton. A photo attained by GroundUp on the supposed Wetton museum reveals a coffee shop with some musical devices and minstrel costumes and collages of pictures haphazardly hung about the partitions, and a model ship on its plinth inside a corner.
In its report, Dabishi Nthambeleni explained it had been “not in a position” to confirm if a museum had at any time operated from these premises.
Stemmet explained to the investigators the museum were moved mainly because they could no more manage the hire of R100,000 a month. He explained the CTMCA had acquired house for R1.7-million in Schaapkraal to the museum, but could not get it rezoned, and had been sold for a similar selling price. Schaapkraal is in the peri-city location considerably from the town.
Because of this, the museum were moved to a fresh site in Primrose Park in February 2021, Stemmet told the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators. But soon after visiting the premises, which might be within an industrial area, the investigators mentioned they doubted whether a proper museum existed there. Images connected on the report display a mishmash of randomly displayed uniforms, musical devices and various minstrel paraphernalia nailed towards the wall, exhibited on tables and unfold out on the ground, without any explanation.
“You will find there's nominal quantity of merchandise with the museum [that] in no way depict the greater than one hundred-calendar year history in the Cape Town Carnival, the investigators claimed, introducing that there was “no signage outside the premises indicating that they housed a museum and … usually, the museum will not seem being open up to the public.”
The CTMCA had breached the grant agreement, Dabishi Nthambeleni observed, by moving The situation of the museum to an alternate locale with no notifying the NLC.
The Schaapkraal home, on which no museum was at any time created. Photograph: Raymond Joseph
Buses
Stemmet told the investigators which the CTMCA experienced to move through the rented Crete Road premises because it had run up a R4-million debt with town of Cape Town and was frightened its equipment could well be connected.
“Due to the authorized battles along with the debts, the organisation had to move its property from 5 Crete Highway to avoid the sheriff from attaching the residence from the organisation,” Stemmet told the investigators.
Sedrick Soeker, The present director from the CTMCA, explained to them the two buses purchased with lottery cash were stored inside of a key location “hidden from your Sheriff”. However the investigators stated they had been unable to verify that any buses had at any time been purchased.
Stemmet also verified that the buses were concealed to prevent them getting seized. But once the investigators asked to be taken towards the location where the buses were stored, he told them that “the operator of the secret place wasn't available to open the premises for us”.
“The CTMCA couldn't provide evidence of payment for 2 cars that it allegedly acquired with grant cash,” the investigators reported.
Soeker also advised them the Schaapkraal property had been offered as a result of credit card debt.
“Mr Soeker defined that In accordance with his being familiar with, due to the personal debt owed to town of Cape Town, the CTMCA made the decision It could be greatest to promote their [Schaapkraal] house … and also to also to hide the assets of the CTMCA to avoid the sheriff from attaching the assets.”
JP Smith, Cape City’s mayco member for protection and protection, has Earlier instructed GroundUp that the CTMCA “threw revenue away” on litigation with the City.
“Annually like clockwork, as we technique the top in the 12 months, the CTMCA picks a lawful fight with the City, over permits or another thing. We by no means initiate it. They hold throwing income away on vexatious litigation that they shed and have prices awarded versus them. This is often totally self-inflicted,” he explained.
Soeker informed the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators that the primary job players on issues of Lottery funding were Stemmet and former CTMCA board member Kevin Momberg, “who ended up in command of each of the admin, funds and functioning เช ค หวย the CTMCA.” The investigators stated they were unable to contact Momberg.
Hats
Throughout their “investigation in loco” at the Primrose Park premises, the investigators “uncovered several devices, some in good problem, some in lousy situation and many that appeared rusty and intensely old”. Stemmet instructed the investigators that there was also an off-web page storage facility where “devices plus some equipment” ended up saved.
“We questioned him to acquire us to the power but he was evasive to our request.”
Depending on photographs and invoices in GroundUp’s possession, some, if not all, of your goods seem like gear which was illegally removed from the CTMCA’s past premises. Stemmet is struggling with fees for this removal.
Based on the remaining progress report submitted to your NLC from the CTMCA, the machinery was ordered from Martin-Conne Milliners, a business wherein Stemmet, his wife and his daughter were directors at time.
The investigators located this “alarming”.
“Within the CIPC look for of Martin-Conne Milliners as well as the invoices submitted, we Be aware the following alarming finding: Mr Stemmet himself is a director of Martin-Conne Milliners. The registered address of the company is five Crete Street, Wetton, Cape Town, precisely the same tackle on which the museum was intended to be built and/or transformed,” they documented.
An audit by accountants Kopano Incorporated, connected to the investigative report, recorded the CTMCA was in the process of buying “machinery, plant and inventory” valued at R8.1-million from Stalph 164 CC, investing as Martin-Conne Milliners. Staph 164 was a close corporation of which Stemmet was certainly one of the administrators.
In line with Dabishi Nthambeleni, the corporation has paid R1.2-million to be a deposit, that means R6.nine-million is still owed, nevertheless there's no payment day established for when this should be paid.
The Kopano audit plus the near link among the companies “reveal to us that there is ‘foul Perform’ involved in the acquisition with the machinery of the museum workshop”, the investigators said during the report.
“We find that it's extremely probable that CTMCA used the funding on the NLC to ‘refund’ one of its major administrators with the home at the next overpriced charge than the actual selling price and value of the property and/or machinery.”
Recommendations
Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded that it was unable to establish how the grant towards the CTMCA were used.
“In reality, an in depth report on how the funding with the NLC was utilised, can be extremely hard since the CTMCA doesn't have any receipts, or proof of payments to substantiate the amounts used on Just about every item it asked for funding for. The interim report and final report on the CTMCA only connect invoices,” Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded.
The investigators identified which the NLC experienced not performed a web page go to in advance of approving the grant. But this wasn't regular apply at enough time plus they uncovered no proof of carelessness by NLC workforce.
At some time, the NLC’s rules didn't require funded organisations to post evidence of payment with interim stories, they pointed out. This meant which the CTMCA was in the position to get a second tranche of funding without having to provide evidence that it had made use of the main tranche for its meant objective.
Next the appointment of a whole new board, commissioner and senior executive crew, the NLC has tightened up on these and also other issues.
Dabishi Nthambeleni encouraged that
the NLC drop any long term funding apps within the CTMCA;
the CTMCA and any members who had been involved with the grant be subjected to your NLC’s “delinquency” system;
the NLC open up a prison circumstance of fraud with SAPS or maybe the Hawks for allegations of fraud; and
the NLC start out the whole process of recovering the misappropriated cash.
But, in lieu of act to the report’s suggestions, the NLC – below its previous administration – selected to suppress it, because it experienced accomplished Together with the prior experiences into corruption it had commissioned.
GroundUp despatched concerns to Stemmet and Soeker by means of SMS, and asked for e mail addresses to mail the queries by electronic mail as well. But no response had been been given at the time of publication.
The minstrel “museum” in Crete Road, Wetton. Photograph: Raymond Joseph
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