Leaked report exposes abuse of lottery cash compensated to minstrel team

Leaked report exposes abuse of lottery cash compensated to minstrel team

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Minstrels carry out in Athlone on two January 2017. Archive Image: Ashraf Hendricks

A report by Lawyers Dabishi Nthambeleni into a R27.three-million grant from the Countrywide Lotteries Commission towards the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) for your minstrels museum has located no evidence that a museum ever existed.
The investigators observed that the CTMCA did not make use of the R5-million allotted to purchase or make a museum.
In addition they found that the CTMCA only bought land value R1.seven-million, not R5-million as allotted.
They located the CTMCA made use of resources from the Lottery to purchase workshop equipment from certainly one of its very own directors, Richard “Pot” Stemmet.
A leaked forensic report reveals how countless rand granted to the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) by the Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) to arrange a museum to celebrate town’s prosperous minstrel history went astray. The museum was hardly ever designed.

The main points in the abuse of millions of rands of Lottery money for your museum that by no means was are unveiled within an investigative report commissioned via the NLC in 2021.

The museum grant was A part of a lot more than R64-million in Lottery cash allotted to your CTMCA concerning 2003 and 2017.

The main part of the investigation, by regulation business Dabishi Nthambeleni, was done involving September 2020 and January 2021 and focused on a R27.3-million grant to your CTMCA in 2014, which involved funding to the museum. The authorized spending plan for that museum was over R12.eight-million, with R5-million of that allocated for your developing to accommodate the museum.

Study the report (PDF, 7MB)

The NLC tasked Dabishi Nthambeleni to research the acquisition of the creating for that museum and whether or not the museum “really existed”.

The agency was also instructed to research

the acquisition with Lottery cash of two motor vehicles – a sixty-seater bus in addition to a 23-seater bus – for R2.four-million; and
various equipment “procured with the producing with the costumes and hats” for that minstrels carnival, for R5.4-million.
At time, convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet was director of your CTMCA. He was appointed a director with the CTMCA in September 1996. He resigned in December 2016 but his wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing as two of many directors of the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed for a director in May possibly 2021.

The investigation adopted substantial reporting by GroundUp with regards to the a lot of rands of Lottery funding allocated to your CTMCA (see right here, right here and in this article) and the way in which the cash most likely served finance the ANC’s 2014 election campaign while in the Western Cape, led by at enough time by Marius Fransman.



The making on the proper was the meant website on the minstrels’ museum, in the course of an industrial area in Primrose Park, Cape City. Image: Raymond Joseph

In reaction to your Parliamentary issue, former NLC Commissioner Thabang Mampane detailed grants to 3 CTMCA “assignments” - such as the museum - concerning 2012 and 2015. All a few tasks had been completed, she explained to MPs.

But the investigators found no evidence that a museum experienced ever existed.

At the outset the museum was as a result of open in rented premises in Crete Road, Wetton. A photograph attained by GroundUp of the supposed Wetton museum reveals a coffee shop with some musical devices and minstrel costumes and collages of shots haphazardly hung around the walls, and also a product ship on its plinth inside of a corner.

In its report, Dabishi Nthambeleni said it absolutely was “not ready” to verify if a museum had at any time operated from these premises.

Stemmet instructed the investigators the museum had been moved simply because they could no longer afford to pay for the lease of R100,000 per month. He claimed the CTMCA had procured house for R1.seven-million in Schaapkraal for your museum, but couldn't get it rezoned, and had been offered for a similar cost. Schaapkraal is inside of a peri-urban spot considerably from the city.

Due to this fact, the museum were moved to a brand new spot in Primrose Park in February 2021, Stemmet explained to the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators. But following checking out the premises, which happen to be within an industrial place, the investigators reported they doubted whether or not a proper museum existed there. Pictures hooked up to your report exhibit a mishmash of randomly shown uniforms, musical devices and diverse minstrel paraphernalia nailed towards the wall, exhibited on tables and spread out on the ground, without any rationalization.

“There exists a minimal number of products for the museum [that] in no way characterize the greater than one hundred-12 months record from the Cape Town Carnival, the investigators mentioned, incorporating that there was “no signage outside the house the premises indicating which they housed a museum and … frequently, the museum does not appear for being open to the general public.”

The CTMCA experienced breached the grant arrangement, Dabishi Nthambeleni famous, by shifting the location of the museum to another spot with no notifying the NLC.



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

Buses
Stemmet instructed the investigators that the CTMCA experienced to maneuver from your rented Crete Highway premises since it experienced operate up a R4-million financial debt with the town of Cape City and was afraid its products would be attached.

“Due to lawful battles and also the debts, the organisation had to move its home from 5 Crete Road to avoid the sheriff from attaching the house on the organisation,” Stemmet instructed the investigators.

Sedrick Soeker, The present director on the CTMCA, advised them that the two buses acquired with lottery cash have been stored in a top secret site “hidden from the Sheriff”. Though the investigators claimed they had been not able to confirm that any buses experienced at any time been bought.

Stemmet also verified which the buses had been hidden to halt them becoming seized. But if the investigators asked to get taken into the location wherever the buses were stored, he informed them that “the proprietor of The key spot wasn't accessible to open the premises for us”.

“The CTMCA could not supply proof of payment for two vehicles that it allegedly bought with grant funds,” the investigators noted.

Soeker also informed them the Schaapkraal home were marketed due to the debt.

“Mr Soeker explained that according to his understanding, mainly because of the credit card debt owed to town of Cape Town, the CTMCA resolved It might be best to market their [Schaapkraal] property … and to also to hide the property from the CTMCA to avoid the sheriff from attaching the residence.”

JP Smith, Cape Town’s mayco member for safety and stability, has Formerly informed GroundUp which the CTMCA “threw funds absent” on litigation with the town.

“Every year like clockwork, as we tactic the end with the year, the CTMCA picks a authorized struggle with the town, above permits or another thing. We hardly ever initiate it. They retain throwing funds absent on vexatious litigation they drop and possess fees awarded versus them. This can be totally self-inflicted,” he explained.

Soeker told the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators that the main job gamers on issues of Lottery funding were being Stemmet and former CTMCA board member Kevin Momberg, “who had been in charge of every one of the admin, funds and managing ตรวจ รางวัล the CTMCA.” The investigators mentioned they were unable to Call Momberg.

Hats
All through their “investigation in loco” with the Primrose Park premises, the investigators “observed various machines, some in superior issue, some in bad ailment and some that looked rusty and intensely aged”. Stemmet told the investigators that there was also an off-web site storage facility in which “devices and several machinery” had been stored.

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

Depending on pictures and invoices in GroundUp’s possession, some, Otherwise all, on the things look like devices that was illegally faraway from the CTMCA’s prior premises. Stemmet is struggling with fees for this removal.

In accordance with the ultimate development report submitted for the NLC through the CTMCA, the equipment was ordered from Martin-Conne Milliners, a firm during which Stemmet, his wife and his daughter have been administrators at some time.

The investigators located this “alarming”.

“Within the CIPC lookup of Martin-Conne Milliners along with the invoices submitted, we Observe the subsequent alarming acquiring: Mr Stemmet himself is usually a director of Martin-Conne Milliners. The registered handle of the corporate is 5 Crete Road, Wetton, Cape City, a similar tackle on which the museum was intended to be crafted 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, investing as Martin-Conne Milliners. Staph 164 was a close corporation of which Stemmet was amongst the directors.

According to Dabishi Nthambeleni, the business has paid out R1.2-million for a deposit, this means R6.nine-million remains owed, though there's no payment date set for when this should be compensated.

The Kopano audit as well as shut backlink amongst the companies “indicate to us that there's ‘foul Perform’ involved in the acquisition from the equipment from the museum workshop”, the investigators reported while in the report.

“We discover that it is hugely possible that CTMCA employed the funding of your NLC to ‘refund’ among its most important directors for your residence at the next overpriced price than the actual value and worth of the residence and/or equipment.”

Suggestions
Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded that it had been unable to establish how the grant towards the CTMCA had been used.

“In point of fact, an in depth report on how the funding with the NLC was utilised, can be extremely hard because the CTMCA doesn't have any receipts, or proof of payments to substantiate the amounts spent on Each individual merchandise it asked for funding for. The interim report and last report of your CTMCA only attach invoices,” Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded.

The investigators uncovered that the NLC had not done a web site stop by just before approving the grant. But this wasn't conventional practice at time and so they located no proof of carelessness by NLC staff members.

At some time, the NLC’s procedures didn't involve funded organisations to post evidence of payment with interim studies, they pointed out. This meant which the CTMCA was ready to get a second tranche of funding without needing to offer evidence that it had utilized the first tranche for its supposed goal.

Following the appointment of a completely new board, commissioner and senior government workforce, the NLC has tightened up on these together with other concerns.

Dabishi Nthambeleni proposed that

the NLC decline any long run funding applications from your CTMCA;
the CTMCA and any customers who were being involved in the grant be subjected for the NLC’s “delinquency” course of action;
the NLC open up a felony 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 resources.
But, rather then act over the report’s tips, the NLC – beneath its preceding administration – chose to suppress it, mainly because it had carried out Using the former stories into corruption it had commissioned.

GroundUp sent questions to Stemmet and Soeker by means of SMS, and asked for e mail addresses to send the inquiries by electronic mail also. But no reaction were obtained at enough time of publication.



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

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