Minstrels conduct in Athlone on 2 January 2017. Archive Picture: Ashraf Hendricks

A report by attorneys Dabishi Nthambeleni into a R27.three-million grant through the Nationwide Lotteries Commission to the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) for your minstrels museum has located no evidence that a museum at any time existed.
The investigators uncovered that the CTMCA did not use the R5-million allocated to acquire or develop a museum.
Additionally they located the CTMCA only bought land truly worth R1.seven-million, not R5-million as allocated.
They observed the CTMCA made use of funds from your Lottery to purchase workshop tools from among its possess administrators, Richard “Pot” Stemmet.
A leaked forensic report reveals how millions of rand granted on the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) via the Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) to put in place a museum to celebrate the town’s abundant minstrel heritage went astray. The museum was hardly ever produced.

The small print of your abuse of a lot of rands of Lottery resources for any museum that never was are uncovered within an investigative report commissioned because of the NLC in 2021.

The museum grant was Element of a lot more than R64-million in Lottery resources allocated for the CTMCA between 2003 and 2017.

The primary Element of the investigation, by law firm Dabishi Nthambeleni, was executed between September 2020 and January 2021 and centered on a R27.three-million grant towards the CTMCA in 2014, which provided funding for that museum. The approved funds to the museum was more than R12.eight-million, with R5-million of that allocated for the making to accommodate the museum.

Examine the report (PDF, 7MB)

The NLC tasked Dabishi Nthambeleni to investigate the acquisition of a constructing for the museum and whether the museum “essentially existed”.

The firm was also instructed to research

the purchase with Lottery cash of two autos – a sixty-seater bus along with a 23-seater bus – for R2.four-million; and
several machines “purchased with the manufacturing with the costumes and hats” for your minstrels carnival, for R5.four-million.
At the time, convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet was director on the CTMCA. He was appointed a director with the CTMCA in September 1996. He resigned in December 2016 but his spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued as two of various administrators on the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed for a director in May possibly 2021.

The investigation adopted in depth reporting by GroundUp with regards to the an incredible number of rands of Lottery funding allotted towards the CTMCA (see listed here, below and listed here) and how the resources likely helped finance the ANC’s 2014 election marketing campaign within the Western Cape, led by at enough time by Marius Fransman.



The making on the appropriate was the meant internet site of your minstrels’ museum, in the course of an industrial spot in Primrose Park, Cape Town. Picture: Raymond Joseph

In response to your Parliamentary issue, previous NLC Commissioner Thabang Mampane shown grants to three CTMCA “initiatives” - including the museum - amongst 2012 and 2015. All three initiatives were concluded, she told MPs.

Though the investigators located no proof that a museum had ever existed.

At the beginning the museum was because of open in rented premises in Crete Road, Wetton. A photograph attained by GroundUp of your intended Wetton museum demonstrates a coffee store with some musical instruments and minstrel costumes and collages of shots haphazardly hung to the walls, along with a product ship on its plinth inside of a corner.

In its report, Dabishi Nthambeleni reported it had been “not in a position” to verify if a museum had ever operated from these premises.

Stemmet explained to the investigators the museum had been moved simply because they could now not manage the hire of R100,000 a month. He explained the CTMCA experienced obtained residence for R1.seven-million in Schaapkraal for your museum, but could not get it rezoned, and had been marketed for a similar price. Schaapkraal is within a peri-urban location significantly from the town.

As a result, the museum had been moved to a fresh locale in Primrose Park in February 2021, Stemmet informed the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators. But immediately after viewing the premises, which are within an industrial place, the investigators reported they doubted whether or not a proper museum existed there. Photos hooked up on the report display a mishmash of randomly exhibited uniforms, musical instruments and assorted minstrel paraphernalia nailed into the wall, displayed on tables and unfold out on the ground, without having explanation.

“You will find there's minimum degree of goods at the museum [that] in no way depict the much more than a hundred-year background on the Cape City Carnival, the investigators reported, adding that there was “no signage outdoors the premises indicating that they housed a museum and … generally, the museum doesn't appear to get open to the general public.”

The CTMCA had breached the grant settlement, Dabishi Nthambeleni famous, by moving The situation in the museum to another place without the need of notifying the NLC.



The Schaapkraal home, on which no museum was at any time crafted. Photo: Raymond Joseph

Buses
Stemmet advised the investigators which the CTMCA experienced to maneuver in the rented Crete Road premises as it experienced operate up a R4-million personal debt with town of Cape City and was worried its gear can be connected.

“Due to authorized battles along with the debts, the organisation had to maneuver its residence from 5 Crete Road to steer clear of the sheriff from attaching the house from the organisation,” Stemmet told the investigators.

Sedrick Soeker, The present director from the CTMCA, explained to them that the two buses purchased with lottery funds ended up stored in a very magic formula site “hidden from your Sheriff”. But the investigators mentioned they ended up not able to substantiate that any buses experienced at any time been bought.

Stemmet also verified that the buses were concealed to halt them being seized. But once the investigators asked for being taken on the position where by the buses were being saved, he advised them that “the owner of The trick site was not available to open the premises for us”.

“The CTMCA couldn't deliver evidence of payment for 2 cars that it allegedly obtained with grant money,” the investigators reported.

Soeker also explained to them the Schaapkraal residence had been sold because of the financial debt.

“Mr Soeker discussed that Based on his knowing, as a result of financial debt owed to town of Cape Town, the CTMCA determined it would be finest to market their [Schaapkraal] residence … also to also to hide the belongings in the CTMCA to avoid the sheriff from attaching the house.”

JP Smith, Cape Town’s mayco member for security and stability, has previously instructed GroundUp that the CTMCA “threw revenue away” on litigation with town.

“Every year like clockwork, as we approach the top from the yr, the CTMCA picks a authorized struggle with town, about permits or something else. We hardly ever initiate it. They maintain throwing funds away on vexatious litigation which they eliminate and also have charges awarded in opposition to them. This is often solely self-inflicted,” he claimed.

Soeker explained to the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators that the leading position players on problems with Lottery funding ended up Stemmet and former CTMCA board member Kevin Momberg, “who had been in control of all of the admin, finances and managing ตรวจ หวย ลาว วัน นี้ the CTMCA.” The investigators explained they were unable to Make contact with Momberg.

Hats
During their “investigation in loco” in the Primrose Park premises, the investigators “located a lot of equipment, some in great issue, some in terrible affliction and many that seemed rusty and very previous”. Stemmet advised the investigators that there was also an off-web-site storage facility the place “instruments plus some machinery” ended up held.

“We asked him to just take us to the facility but he was evasive to our request.”

According to pics and invoices in GroundUp’s possession, some, Otherwise all, in the merchandise appear to be products which was illegally faraway from the CTMCA’s former premises. Stemmet is going through rates for this removal.

Based on the closing development report submitted to the NLC through the CTMCA, the machinery was acquired from Martin-Conne Milliners, a firm wherein Stemmet, his spouse and his daughter ended up administrators at enough time.

The investigators located this “alarming”.

“Through the CIPC lookup of Martin-Conne Milliners along with the invoices submitted, we Notice the following alarming locating: Mr Stemmet himself is often a director of Martin-Conne Milliners. The registered tackle of the corporate is 5 Crete Highway, Wetton, Cape City, the exact same handle on which the museum was meant to be created and/or transformed,” they reported.

An audit by accountants Kopano Integrated, attached into the investigative report, recorded the CTMCA was in the whole process of buying “equipment, 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 considered one of the directors.

As outlined by Dabishi Nthambeleni, the company has paid out R1.2-million as a deposit, indicating R6.nine-million is still owed, while there isn't any payment date set for when this have to be paid out.

The Kopano audit as well as shut hyperlink amongst the companies “suggest to us that there is ‘foul Perform’ involved in the purchase of your equipment on the museum workshop”, the investigators said during the report.

“We find that it's really possible that CTMCA utilized the funding on the NLC to ‘refund’ one of its principal administrators with the home at an increased overpriced price than the actual cost and value of the property and/or equipment.”

Suggestions
Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded that it was not able to determine how the grant to your CTMCA had been spent.

“In point of fact, a detailed report on how the funding of the NLC was applied, will be not possible as being the CTMCA doesn't have any receipts, or proof of payments to verify the quantities spent on Just about every item it requested funding for. The interim report and remaining report in the CTMCA only connect invoices,” Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded.

The investigators uncovered which the NLC experienced not conducted a web site take a look at before approving the grant. But this was not common exercise at enough time they usually found no proof of negligence by NLC personnel.

At enough time, the NLC’s regulations didn't demand funded organisations to submit evidence of payment with interim reviews, they identified. This meant the CTMCA was capable to receive a 2nd tranche of funding without needing to deliver proof that it experienced utilized the main tranche for its intended function.

Following the appointment of a different board, commissioner and senior executive crew, the NLC has tightened up on these as well as other difficulties.

Dabishi Nthambeleni suggested that

the NLC decline any foreseeable future funding apps within the CTMCA;
the CTMCA and any members who had been associated with the grant be subjected for the NLC’s “delinquency” approach;
the NLC open a criminal circumstance of fraud with SAPS or perhaps the Hawks for allegations of fraud; and
the NLC start off the entire process of recovering the misappropriated funds.
But, rather than act within the report’s recommendations, the NLC – underneath its earlier administration – chose to suppress it, mainly because it had done While using the preceding reports into corruption it had commissioned.

GroundUp sent thoughts to Stemmet and Soeker by way of SMS, and requested for electronic mail addresses to send the queries by electronic mail as well. But no response had been gained at some time of publication.



The minstrel “museum” in Crete Highway, Wetton. Image: Raymond Joseph