Minstrels execute in Athlone on two January 2017. Archive Photograph: Ashraf Hendricks

A report by Lawyers Dabishi Nthambeleni into a R27.3-million grant by the National Lotteries Commission to your Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) for just a minstrels museum has identified no proof that a museum ever existed.
The investigators discovered that the CTMCA didn't make use of the R5-million allocated to purchase or create a museum.
They also found the CTMCA only bought land really worth R1.seven-million, not R5-million as allocated.
They uncovered the CTMCA applied money from the Lottery to acquire workshop tools from certainly one of its individual directors, Richard “Pot” Stemmet.
A leaked forensic report reveals how a lot of rand granted towards the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) from the Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) to put in place a museum to rejoice the city’s prosperous minstrel heritage went astray. The museum was never developed.

The small print in the abuse of an incredible number of rands of Lottery cash for the museum that never ever was are unveiled in an investigative report commissioned from the NLC in 2021.

The museum grant was part of more than R64-million in Lottery cash allocated into the CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017.

The very first Element of the investigation, by legislation business Dabishi Nthambeleni, was carried out concerning September 2020 and January 2021 and focused on a R27.3-million grant on the CTMCA in 2014, which included funding for your museum. The accredited price range to the museum was more than R12.8-million, with R5-million of that allocated for your developing to house the museum.

Read the report (PDF, 7MB)

The NLC tasked Dabishi Nthambeleni to research the acquisition of the building to the museum and whether or not the museum “actually existed”.

The firm was also instructed to analyze

the acquisition with Lottery cash of two vehicles – a sixty-seater bus as well as a 23-seater bus – for R2.four-million; and
many devices “acquired to the production from the costumes and hats” for the minstrels carnival, for R5.four-million.
At enough time, convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet was director with 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 continued as two of a number of administrators from the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed for a director in Might 2021.

The investigation followed intensive reporting by GroundUp with regards to the countless rands of Lottery funding allocated towards the CTMCA (see listed here, below and listed here) and how the money likely served finance the ANC’s 2014 election marketing campaign while in the Western Cape, led by at enough time by Marius Fransman.



The constructing on the appropriate was the intended website from the minstrels’ museum, in the middle of an industrial space in Primrose Park, Cape City. Photo: Raymond Joseph

In reaction to some Parliamentary question, former NLC Commissioner Thabang Mampane outlined grants to 3 CTMCA “initiatives” - including the museum - concerning 2012 and 2015. All three initiatives were done, she informed MPs.

Even so the investigators uncovered no evidence that a museum experienced ever existed.

To start with the museum was resulting from open up in rented premises in Crete Road, Wetton. A photograph received by GroundUp in the supposed Wetton museum reveals a espresso store with a few musical instruments and minstrel costumes and collages of pics haphazardly hung about the walls, and also a model ship on its plinth inside of a corner.

In its report, Dabishi Nthambeleni mentioned it absolutely was “not in a position” to verify if a museum experienced at any time operated from these premises.

Stemmet informed the investigators the museum were moved since they could no more afford to pay for the rent of R100,000 a month. He stated the CTMCA had ordered assets for R1.seven-million in Schaapkraal for the museum, but could not get it rezoned, and were bought for a similar rate. Schaapkraal is in a peri-city space considerably from the town.

Due to this fact, the museum had been moved to a fresh area in Primrose Park in February 2021, Stemmet informed the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators. But following visiting the premises, which happen to be in an industrial area, the investigators claimed they doubted no matter if a proper museum existed there. Pics attached on the report show a mishmash of randomly displayed uniforms, musical instruments and diverse minstrel paraphernalia nailed into the wall, displayed on tables and spread out on the floor, without any clarification.

“You will find a negligible amount of products on the museum [that] by no means symbolize the a lot more than one hundred-year history of your Cape City Carnival, the investigators mentioned, adding that there was “no signage outside the house the premises indicating they housed a museum and … usually, the museum does not glance to get open up to the public.”

The CTMCA experienced breached the grant settlement, Dabishi Nthambeleni famous, by going The placement with the museum to an alternative spot without notifying the NLC.



The Schaapkraal house, on which no museum was ever designed. Image: Raymond Joseph

Buses
Stemmet informed the investigators that the CTMCA had to move from your rented Crete Street premises since it had run up a R4-million personal debt with town of Cape City and was concerned its products might be connected.

“A result of the legal battles and also the debts, the organisation experienced to move its assets from five Crete Road to stay away from the sheriff from attaching the home of the organisation,” Stemmet instructed the investigators.

Sedrick Soeker, the current director with the CTMCA, informed them the two buses acquired with lottery money ended up stored within a top secret place “hidden within the Sheriff”. However the investigators explained they were being not able to substantiate that any buses experienced at any time been purchased.

Stemmet also confirmed the buses had been hidden to stop them becoming seized. But when the investigators asked to be taken to the place where the buses were being saved, he advised them that “the owner of The trick spot was not accessible to open the premises for us”.

“The CTMCA couldn't provide proof of payment for two cars that it allegedly purchased with grant funds,” the investigators claimed.

Soeker also instructed them the Schaapkraal residence had been offered as a result of personal debt.

“Mr Soeker defined that Based on his comprehending, because of the personal debt owed to the City of Cape City, the CTMCA resolved It could be ideal to market their [Schaapkraal] home … and to also to hide the property with the CTMCA to steer clear of the sheriff from attaching the property.”

JP Smith, Cape City’s mayco member for protection and protection, has Earlier instructed GroundUp which the CTMCA “threw revenue absent” on litigation with town.

“Every year like clockwork, as we strategy the end with the yr, the CTMCA picks a lawful combat with the City, about permits or something else. We never ever initiate it. They retain throwing dollars away on vexatious litigation they drop and possess expenditures awarded in opposition to them. This is often totally self-inflicted,” he said.

Soeker advised the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators that the main function gamers on problems with Lottery funding ended up Stemmet and former CTMCA board member Kevin Momberg, “who have been accountable for every one of the admin, finances and running ผล หวย ลาว วัน นี้ the CTMCA.” The investigators explained they were not able to Call Momberg.

Hats
During their “investigation in loco” in the Primrose Park premises, the investigators “discovered many equipment, some in superior affliction, some in undesirable issue and a few that appeared rusty and very aged”. Stemmet instructed the investigators that there was also an off-web site storage facility where by “instruments plus some machinery” ended up kept.

“We requested him to choose us to the facility but he was evasive to our request.”

Dependant on pictures and invoices in GroundUp’s possession, some, if not all, with the merchandise appear to be gear that was illegally removed from the CTMCA’s earlier premises. Stemmet is experiencing rates for this removing.

In accordance with the closing development report submitted on the NLC with the CTMCA, the machinery was bought from Martin-Conne Milliners, a company in which Stemmet, his spouse and his daughter have been directors at enough time.

The investigators identified this “alarming”.

“In the CIPC look for of Martin-Conne Milliners along with the invoices submitted, we note the next alarming finding: Mr Stemmet himself is often a director of Martin-Conne Milliners. The registered address of the corporate is five Crete Highway, Wetton, Cape Town, precisely the same tackle on which the museum was meant to be built and/or transformed,” they reported.

An audit by accountants Kopano Incorporated, attached for the investigative report, recorded the CTMCA was in the entire process of obtaining “equipment, plant and stock” valued at R8.1-million from Stalph 164 CC, investing as Martin-Conne Milliners. Staph 164 was a detailed Company of which Stemmet was one among the directors.

Based on Dabishi Nthambeleni, the company has compensated R1.2-million as a deposit, this means R6.9-million remains owed, however there is absolutely no payment day set for when this need to be paid.

The Kopano audit along with the shut website link concerning the companies “reveal to us that there's ‘foul Participate in’ involved in the purchase in the machinery with the museum workshop”, the investigators reported in the report.

“We find that it's highly possible that CTMCA made use of the funding of your NLC to ‘refund’ one of its main administrators for that house at a better overpriced price than the particular selling price and worth of the property and/or equipment.”

Recommendations
Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded that it absolutely was unable to determine how the grant for the CTMCA were invested.

“In point of fact, a detailed report on how the funding of your NLC was employed, could well be extremely hard given that the CTMCA does not have any receipts, or proof of payments to verify the amounts expended on each item it requested funding for. The interim report and last report on the CTMCA only connect invoices,” Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded.

The investigators observed the NLC had not carried out a internet site check out in advance of approving the grant. But this was not normal apply at the time they usually located no evidence of carelessness by NLC personnel.

At the time, the NLC’s procedures did not require funded organisations to post evidence of payment with interim studies, they identified. This meant the CTMCA was able to receive a 2nd tranche of funding without having to give evidence that it experienced employed the main tranche for its supposed objective.

Pursuing the appointment of a completely new board, commissioner and senior executive group, the NLC has tightened up on these and also other difficulties.

Dabishi Nthambeleni proposed that

the NLC drop any upcoming funding purposes with the CTMCA;
the CTMCA and any customers who have been associated with the grant be subjected towards the NLC’s “delinquency” process;
the NLC open up a criminal circumstance of fraud with SAPS or even the Hawks for allegations of fraud; and
the NLC begin the whole process of recovering the misappropriated funds.
But, rather than act about the report’s tips, the NLC – beneath its former administration – chose to suppress it, because it experienced done Together with the former reports into corruption it had commissioned.

GroundUp sent queries to Stemmet and Soeker by means of SMS, and questioned for e mail addresses to send out the thoughts by electronic mail much too. But no reaction were acquired at time of publication.



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