Leaked report exposes abuse of lottery funds paid to minstrel group

Minstrels carry out in Athlone on 2 January 2017. Archive Photograph: Ashraf Hendricks

A report by attorneys Dabishi Nthambeleni into a R27.3-million grant from the National Lotteries Fee for the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) for any minstrels museum has located no evidence that a museum ever existed.
The investigators uncovered the CTMCA didn't make use of the R5-million allotted to purchase or produce a museum.
They also observed that the CTMCA only purchased land worth R1.7-million, not R5-million as allotted.
They located the CTMCA used funds within the Lottery to buy workshop tools from considered one of its own directors, Richard “Pot” Stemmet.
A leaked forensic report reveals how an incredible number of rand granted on the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) with the Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) to build a museum to celebrate the city’s abundant minstrel record went astray. The museum was in no way produced.

The details of the abuse of numerous rands of Lottery cash to get a museum that never was are unveiled within an investigative report commissioned via the NLC in 2021.

The museum grant was Section of more than R64-million in Lottery money allocated for the CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017.

The 1st Element of the investigation, by regulation business Dabishi Nthambeleni, was done among September 2020 and January 2021 and centered on a R27.three-million grant for the CTMCA in 2014, which incorporated funding for your museum. The authorized funds with the museum was a lot more than R12.eight-million, with R5-million of that allotted for the constructing to deal with the museum.

Read the report (PDF, 7MB)

The NLC tasked Dabishi Nthambeleni to investigate the purchase of the making for your museum and if the museum “really existed”.

The company was also instructed to research

the acquisition with Lottery funds of two vehicles – a sixty-seater bus and also a 23-seater bus – for R2.four-million; and
various machines “bought for the producing with the costumes and hats” with the minstrels carnival, for R5.four-million.
At enough time, convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet was director of 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 ongoing as two of various administrators on the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed like a director in May possibly 2021.

The investigation adopted extensive reporting by GroundUp with regard to the an incredible number of rands of Lottery funding allocated into the CTMCA (see below, here and listed here) and the best way the money likely served finance the ANC’s 2014 election campaign inside the Western Cape, led by at time by Marius Fransman.



The developing on the right was the meant site of the minstrels’ museum, in the course of an industrial location in Primrose Park, Cape City. Photograph: Raymond Joseph

In reaction to the Parliamentary issue, previous NLC Commissioner Thabang Mampane listed grants to three CTMCA “tasks” - such as the museum - between 2012 and 2015. All three tasks had been accomplished, she instructed MPs.

However the investigators found no proof that a museum experienced at any time existed.

To start with the museum was resulting from open in rented premises in Crete Street, Wetton. A photograph obtained by GroundUp in the intended Wetton museum shows a coffee shop with some musical instruments and minstrel costumes and collages of photographs haphazardly hung to the partitions, in addition to a product ship on its plinth in a corner.

In its report, Dabishi Nthambeleni mentioned it was “not in a position” to substantiate if a museum experienced ever operated from these premises.

Stemmet informed the investigators the museum were moved since they could not pay for the hire of R100,000 per month. He explained the CTMCA had purchased property for R1.7-million in Schaapkraal for your museum, but couldn't get it rezoned, and were marketed for a similar price tag. Schaapkraal is inside a peri-city region significantly from town.

Due to this fact, the museum had been moved to a whole new location in Primrose Park in February 2021, Stemmet advised the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators. But after browsing the premises, which happen to be within an industrial region, the investigators mentioned they doubted whether a proper museum existed there. Photos attached to the report display a mishmash of randomly displayed uniforms, musical devices and assorted minstrel paraphernalia nailed to the wall, exhibited on tables and unfold out on the floor, without having clarification.

“There's a negligible degree of objects at the museum [that] under no circumstances represent the in excess of 100-12 months record on the Cape City Carnival, the investigators stated, including that there was “no signage exterior the premises indicating which they housed a museum and … normally, the museum doesn't seem to generally be open up to the general public.”

The CTMCA experienced breached the grant settlement, Dabishi Nthambeleni pointed out, by moving the location of the museum to another spot devoid of notifying the NLC.



The Schaapkraal house, on which no museum was at any time designed. Photograph: Raymond Joseph

Buses
Stemmet informed the investigators which the CTMCA had to maneuver from your rented Crete Road premises since it experienced run up a R4-million personal debt with the City of Cape Town and was worried its products will be attached.

“A result of the legal battles as well as debts, the organisation had to move its assets from 5 Crete Road to stay away from the sheriff from attaching the assets in the organisation,” Stemmet advised the investigators.

Sedrick Soeker, The present director with the CTMCA, explained to them which the two buses purchased with lottery cash ended up stored within a key area “hidden within the Sheriff”. Though the investigators claimed they have been unable to verify that any buses had ever been acquired.

Stemmet also verified the buses were concealed to halt them remaining seized. But if the investigators questioned to get taken to your area wherever the buses were being stored, he explained to them that “the owner of The key location was not available to open up the premises for us”.

“The CTMCA couldn't supply evidence of payment for 2 cars that it allegedly acquired with grant income,” the investigators noted.

Soeker also told them the Schaapkraal assets were bought as a result of financial debt.

“Mr Soeker explained that In keeping with his knowing, due to personal debt owed to the City of Cape City, the CTMCA determined it would be greatest to market their [Schaapkraal] assets … and to also to cover the belongings of your CTMCA to avoid the sheriff from attaching the property.”

JP Smith, Cape City’s mayco member for safety and security, has previously informed GroundUp that the CTMCA “threw money absent” on litigation with the City.

“Yearly like clockwork, as we method the top in the calendar year, the CTMCA picks a legal combat with the City, in excess of permits or another thing. We under no circumstances initiate it. They preserve throwing funds away on vexatious litigation which they drop and possess costs awarded from them. That is totally self-inflicted,” he said.

Soeker told the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators that the principle function players on problems with Lottery funding were being Stemmet and previous CTMCA board member Kevin Momberg, “who were being in control of the many admin, finances and running หวย ลาว ล่าสุด the CTMCA.” The investigators reported they were not able to Call Momberg.

Hats
During their “investigation in loco” in the Primrose Park premises, the investigators “identified several machines, some in good situation, some in poor condition plus some that seemed rusty and extremely outdated”. Stemmet told the investigators that there was also an off-web page storage facility in which “devices and some machinery” had been retained.

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

Determined by pictures and invoices in GroundUp’s possession, some, if not all, on the merchandise seem like tools that was illegally removed from the CTMCA’s previous premises. Stemmet is facing costs for this removal.

Based on the last progress report submitted on the NLC through the CTMCA, the equipment was bought from Martin-Conne Milliners, a corporation where Stemmet, his wife and his daughter have been administrators at enough time.

The investigators uncovered this “alarming”.

“In the CIPC research of Martin-Conne Milliners as well as invoices submitted, we note the subsequent alarming getting: Mr Stemmet himself is a director of Martin-Conne Milliners. The registered handle of the company is five Crete Street, Wetton, Cape City, a similar tackle on which the museum was intended to be constructed and/or transformed,” they described.

An audit by accountants Kopano Integrated, attached into the investigative report, recorded the CTMCA was in the process of paying for “machinery, plant and stock” valued at R8.one-million from Stalph 164 CC, trading as Martin-Conne Milliners. Staph 164 was a detailed corporation of which Stemmet was certainly one of the administrators.

Based on Dabishi Nthambeleni, the corporation has paid R1.2-million for a deposit, which means R6.9-million remains to be owed, nevertheless there isn't a payment day established for when this must be paid.

The Kopano audit and also the close hyperlink amongst the businesses “point out to us that there's ‘foul Engage in’ associated with the purchase in the machinery in the museum workshop”, the investigators mentioned while in the report.

“We find that it's hugely probable that CTMCA used the funding of the NLC to ‘refund’ one of its main administrators for your home at a greater overpriced rate than the particular price and worth of the assets and/or machinery.”

Suggestions
Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded that it absolutely was not able to establish how the grant to the CTMCA had been expended.

“In fact, a detailed report on how the funding with the NLC was made use of, could be extremely hard as being the CTMCA doesn't have any receipts, or proof of payments to substantiate the quantities put in on Every single merchandise it requested funding for. The interim report and final report of your CTMCA only attach invoices,” Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded.

The investigators found which the NLC had not done a internet site pay a visit to before approving the grant. But this was not typical apply at enough time and so they observed no proof of negligence by NLC staff members.

At some time, the NLC’s policies didn't need funded organisations to submit proof of payment with interim studies, they identified. This intended the CTMCA was in a position to receive a second tranche of funding without needing to supply proof that it experienced utilized the very first tranche for its intended purpose.

Following the appointment of a brand new board, commissioner and senior executive crew, the NLC has tightened up on these and also other troubles.

Dabishi Nthambeleni advisable that

the NLC decline any long run funding applications within the CTMCA;
the CTMCA and any associates who were being involved with the grant be subjected for the NLC’s “delinquency” process;
the NLC open up a prison case of fraud with SAPS or perhaps the Hawks for allegations of fraud; and
the NLC start out the process of recovering the misappropriated funds.
But, instead of act about the report’s suggestions, the NLC – beneath its past administration – selected to suppress it, because it had accomplished While using the former stories into corruption it had commissioned.

GroundUp sent concerns to Stemmet and Soeker by way of SMS, and asked for electronic mail addresses to send out the issues by e-mail much too. But no response were acquired at some time of publication.



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

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