Leaked report exposes abuse of lottery income paid out to minstrel team

Minstrels complete in Athlone on two January 2017. Archive Picture: Ashraf Hendricks

A report by Lawyers Dabishi Nthambeleni right into a R27.three-million grant through the Countrywide Lotteries Fee into the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) for any minstrels museum has observed no evidence that a museum ever existed.
The investigators discovered that the CTMCA did not use the R5-million allotted to purchase or produce a museum.
Additionally they located that the CTMCA only bought land worthy of R1.7-million, not R5-million as allotted.
They uncovered the CTMCA utilized funds through the Lottery to invest in workshop tools from among its very own directors, Richard “Pot” Stemmet.
A leaked forensic report reveals how a lot of rand granted on the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) with the Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) to create a museum to rejoice town’s loaded minstrel background went astray. The museum was under no circumstances developed.

The main points on the abuse of millions of rands of Lottery money to get a museum that under no circumstances was are uncovered within an investigative report commissioned through the NLC in 2021.

The museum grant was Element of much more than R64-million in Lottery funds allotted to your CTMCA involving 2003 and 2017.

The primary Element of the investigation, by legislation business Dabishi Nthambeleni, was executed in between September 2020 and January 2021 and centered on a R27.three-million grant towards the CTMCA in 2014, which provided funding for your museum. The accepted finances for your museum was a lot more than R12.8-million, with R5-million of that allocated for the creating to deal with the museum.

Go through the report (PDF, 7MB)

The NLC tasked Dabishi Nthambeleni to research the acquisition of the making with the museum and if the museum “truly existed”.

The firm was also instructed to investigate

the purchase with Lottery funds of two automobiles – a 60-seater bus along with a 23-seater bus – for R2.4-million; and
many devices “procured for that manufacturing from the costumes and hats” for the minstrels carnival, for R5.four-million.
At time, convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet was director on 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 continued as two of several directors from the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed to be a director in May well 2021.

The investigation adopted considerable reporting by GroundUp with regard to the an incredible number of rands of Lottery funding allotted for the CTMCA (see in this article, below and here) and just how the money in all probability served finance the ANC’s 2014 election campaign during the Western Cape, led by at time by Marius Fransman.



The setting up on the proper was the meant web page of the minstrels’ museum, in the midst of an industrial location in Primrose Park, Cape City. Photo: Raymond Joseph

In reaction to your Parliamentary dilemma, previous NLC Commissioner Thabang Mampane stated grants to three CTMCA “jobs” - including the museum - concerning 2012 and 2015. All 3 tasks were accomplished, she instructed MPs.

Though the investigators observed no proof that a museum experienced at any time existed.

At the beginning the museum was on account of open up in rented premises in Crete Street, Wetton. A photograph obtained by GroundUp of the intended Wetton museum exhibits a espresso shop with a few musical instruments and minstrel costumes and collages of pics haphazardly hung on the partitions, in addition to a design ship on its plinth in the corner.

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

Stemmet informed the investigators the museum had been moved given that they could no longer pay for the lease of R100,000 a month. He mentioned the CTMCA had obtained home for R1.7-million in Schaapkraal for the museum, but couldn't get it rezoned, and were marketed for the same value. Schaapkraal is in a very peri-city location much from the town.

Subsequently, the museum were moved to a whole new spot in Primrose Park in February 2021, Stemmet explained to the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators. But just after viewing the premises, that happen to be in an industrial place, the investigators mentioned they doubted no matter whether an appropriate museum existed there. Pics attached to your report present a mishmash of randomly exhibited uniforms, musical instruments and assorted minstrel paraphernalia nailed to the wall, exhibited on tables and spread out on the floor, without clarification.

“There's a negligible number of merchandise at the museum [that] under no circumstances signify the more than 100-12 months record of the Cape Town Carnival, the investigators stated, incorporating that there was “no signage outdoors the premises indicating that they housed a museum and … frequently, the museum doesn't appear for being open up to the public.”

The CTMCA had breached the grant arrangement, Dabishi Nthambeleni mentioned, by transferring The placement with the museum to an alternate area without the need of notifying the NLC.



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

Buses
Stemmet informed the investigators the CTMCA experienced to move in the rented Crete Street premises mainly because it had run up a R4-million credit card debt with town of Cape Town and was concerned its machines would be attached.

“Due to authorized battles and also the debts, the organisation had to maneuver its home from 5 Crete Highway to steer clear of the sheriff from attaching the property from the organisation,” Stemmet instructed the investigators.

Sedrick Soeker, The present director with the CTMCA, advised them the two buses bought with lottery cash ended up stored inside a top secret area “hidden in the Sheriff”. Nevertheless the investigators said they were unable to confirm that any buses experienced at any time been acquired.

Stemmet also confirmed the buses were hidden to halt them staying seized. But when the investigators asked being taken to your location the place the buses ended up saved, he instructed them that “the owner of The trick locale wasn't available to open up the premises for us”.

“The CTMCA couldn't deliver evidence of payment for two cars that it allegedly procured with grant dollars,” the investigators documented.

Soeker also informed them the Schaapkraal property were sold due to the credit card debt.

“Mr Soeker defined that In line with his comprehending, a result of the credit card debt owed to the town of Cape Town, the CTMCA made a decision It will be ideal to sell their [Schaapkraal] assets … and also to also to hide the assets from the CTMCA to avoid the sheriff from attaching the property.”

JP Smith, Cape City’s mayco member for safety and stability, has Earlier instructed GroundUp that the CTMCA “threw revenue away” on litigation with the City.

“Yearly like clockwork, as we method the top on the year, the CTMCA picks a authorized struggle with the City, around permits or something else. We never initiate it. They retain throwing funds absent on vexatious litigation that they drop and also have prices awarded against them. That is fully self-inflicted,” he said.

Soeker explained to the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators that the key position gamers on problems with Lottery funding ended up Stemmet and former CTMCA board member Kevin Momberg, “who ended up answerable for all of the admin, finances and working สลาก กิน รัฐบาล the CTMCA.” The investigators claimed they had been unable to Get in touch with Momberg.

Hats
In the course of their “investigation in loco” within the Primrose Park premises, the investigators “identified quite a few devices, some in very good problem, some in poor affliction and a few that appeared rusty and extremely outdated”. Stemmet told the investigators that there was also an off-web-site storage facility where “instruments and some machinery” were being held.

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

Based upon pics and invoices in GroundUp’s possession, some, if not all, in the things appear to be equipment which was illegally removed from the CTMCA’s previous premises. Stemmet is struggling with rates for this elimination.

According to the closing development report submitted for the NLC from the CTMCA, the machinery was procured from Martin-Conne Milliners, a business in which Stemmet, his wife and his daughter were being directors at the time.

The investigators located this “alarming”.

“From the CIPC lookup of Martin-Conne Milliners along with the invoices submitted, we Observe the subsequent alarming finding: Mr Stemmet himself is actually a director of Martin-Conne Milliners. The registered deal with of the business is 5 Crete Road, Wetton, Cape City, the same tackle on which the museum was intended to be built and/or transformed,” they documented.

An audit by accountants Kopano Incorporated, hooked up for the investigative report, recorded that the CTMCA was in the entire process of getting “equipment, plant and stock” 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 one among the administrators.

In accordance with Dabishi Nthambeleni, the organization has compensated R1.two-million like a deposit, indicating R6.nine-million is still owed, although there is not any payment day established for when this needs to be compensated.

The Kopano audit and the shut connection concerning the businesses “reveal to us that there is ‘foul Perform’ involved in the acquisition with the machinery of your museum workshop”, the investigators claimed inside the report.

“We discover that it is hugely possible that CTMCA utilised the funding of the NLC to ‘refund’ considered one of its primary directors with the property at a better overpriced amount than the actual value and worth of the assets and/or machinery.”

Recommendations
Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded that it had been unable to ascertain how the grant to your CTMCA were expended.

“In point of fact, an in depth report on how the funding on the NLC was applied, might be unachievable given that the CTMCA doesn't have any receipts, or proof of payments to verify the amounts used on Just about every item it asked for funding for. The interim report and remaining report of the CTMCA only connect invoices,” Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded.

The investigators identified that the NLC had not performed a internet site take a look at just before approving the grant. But this wasn't common practice at enough time they usually located no evidence of negligence by NLC employees.

At time, the NLC’s regulations did not call for funded organisations to post evidence of payment with interim reports, they pointed out. This intended the CTMCA was able to receive a next tranche of funding without having to give evidence that it had applied the 1st tranche for its supposed function.

Next the appointment of a completely new board, commissioner and senior govt crew, the NLC has tightened up on these together with other concerns.

Dabishi Nthambeleni suggested that

the NLC drop any potential funding purposes from your CTMCA;
the CTMCA and any members who were associated with the grant be subjected into the NLC’s “delinquency” approach;
the NLC open up a prison case of fraud with SAPS or maybe the Hawks for allegations of fraud; and
the NLC commence the whole process of recovering the misappropriated money.
But, rather than act about the report’s suggestions, the NLC – underneath its past administration – selected to suppress it, since it had performed with the former experiences into corruption it experienced commissioned.

GroundUp sent queries to Stemmet and Soeker via SMS, and questioned for e-mail addresses to send the issues by e-mail as well. But no reaction had been obtained at some time of publication.



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

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