Leaked report exposes abuse of lottery dollars paid out to minstrel group

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

A report by Lawyers Dabishi Nthambeleni right into a R27.three-million grant because of the Countrywide Lotteries Fee to your Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) for any minstrels museum has discovered no proof that a museum ever existed.
The investigators observed the CTMCA did not utilize the R5-million allocated to acquire or make a museum.
Additionally they uncovered which the CTMCA only purchased land value R1.7-million, not R5-million as allotted.
They identified the CTMCA made use of resources in the Lottery to buy workshop tools from amongst its very own directors, Richard “Pot” Stemmet.
A leaked forensic report reveals how a lot of rand granted into the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) through the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) to build a museum to rejoice the city’s abundant minstrel background went astray. The museum was by no means developed.

The main points on the abuse of countless rands of Lottery money for the museum that hardly ever was are uncovered within an investigative report commissioned via the NLC in 2021.

The museum grant was Section of a lot more than R64-million in Lottery resources allotted towards the CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017.

The primary Portion of the investigation, by legislation business Dabishi Nthambeleni, was conducted concerning September 2020 and January 2021 and focused on a R27.three-million grant for the CTMCA in 2014, which provided funding to the museum. The accepted spending budget for that museum was over R12.eight-million, with R5-million of that allotted for your creating to deal with the museum.

Read through the report (PDF, 7MB)

The NLC tasked Dabishi Nthambeleni to research the acquisition of a developing for that museum and if the museum “truly existed”.

The organization was also instructed to analyze

the acquisition with Lottery resources of two vehicles – a sixty-seater bus in addition to a 23-seater bus – for R2.four-million; and
different machines “procured for that manufacturing of the costumes and hats” for that minstrels carnival, for R5.4-million.
At the time, convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet was director of your CTMCA. He was appointed a director of your CTMCA in September 1996. He resigned in December 2016 but his spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued as two of many directors of your organisation. Stemmet was reappointed like a director in May perhaps 2021.

The investigation adopted substantial reporting by GroundUp in regards to the an incredible number of rands of Lottery funding allotted to your CTMCA (see here, here and listed here) and the best way the resources likely helped finance the ANC’s 2014 election marketing campaign inside the Western Cape, led by at time by Marius Fransman.



The constructing on the right was the supposed web-site on the minstrels’ museum, in the course of an industrial area in Primrose Park, Cape Town. Picture: Raymond Joseph

In response to the Parliamentary concern, previous NLC Commissioner Thabang Mampane listed grants to a few CTMCA “tasks” - such as the museum - amongst 2012 and 2015. All a few projects were done, she explained to MPs.

But the investigators uncovered no evidence that a museum had at any time existed.

In the beginning the museum was resulting from open in rented premises in Crete Road, Wetton. A photograph attained by GroundUp on the supposed Wetton museum demonstrates a espresso shop with some musical devices and minstrel costumes and collages of images haphazardly hung within the partitions, along with a design ship on its plinth in the corner.

In its report, Dabishi Nthambeleni said it was “not able” to verify if a museum experienced ever operated from these premises.

Stemmet instructed the investigators the museum were moved as they could no longer manage the hire of R100,000 per month. He claimed the CTMCA had purchased house for R1.seven-million in Schaapkraal with the museum, but couldn't get it rezoned, and were marketed for a similar price. Schaapkraal is in a peri-urban area significantly from town.

As a result, the museum were moved to a new location in Primrose Park in February 2021, Stemmet informed the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators. But soon after traveling to the premises, that are within an industrial place, the investigators claimed they doubted whether a proper museum existed there. Shots hooked up on the report display a mishmash of randomly shown uniforms, musical devices and assorted minstrel paraphernalia nailed for the wall, shown on tables and distribute out on the floor, without any explanation.

“You will find there's small volume of products for the museum [that] in no way represent the greater than one hundred-yr record from the Cape City Carnival, the investigators claimed, including that there was “no signage outside the premises indicating they housed a museum and … generally, the museum doesn't look being open up to the general public.”

The CTMCA had breached the grant settlement, Dabishi Nthambeleni famous, by going the location of your museum to an alternate place without notifying the NLC.



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

Buses
Stemmet advised the investigators that the CTMCA had to maneuver from your rented Crete Highway premises since it experienced operate up a R4-million credit card debt with town of Cape City and was worried its equipment might be connected.

“Due to authorized battles plus the debts, the organisation experienced to maneuver its residence from 5 Crete Highway to stay away from the sheriff from attaching the residence on the organisation,” Stemmet informed the investigators.

Sedrick Soeker, The present director of your CTMCA, instructed them which the two buses bought with lottery cash were being saved in the secret spot “hidden with the Sheriff”. Even so the investigators claimed they were being unable to substantiate that any buses had ever been bought.

Stemmet also confirmed that the buses were concealed to halt them remaining seized. But in the event the investigators questioned to be taken to the location in which the buses had been saved, he explained to them that “the proprietor of the secret place wasn't accessible to open the premises for us”.

“The CTMCA could not offer evidence of payment for 2 cars that it allegedly obtained with grant revenue,” the investigators claimed.

Soeker also explained to them the Schaapkraal assets were offered due to credit card debt.

“Mr Soeker discussed that In keeping with his knowledge, due to the financial debt owed to town of Cape Town, the CTMCA determined It will be finest to promote 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 security and safety, has Formerly informed GroundUp that the CTMCA “threw income absent” on litigation with the town.

“Every year like clockwork, as we solution the tip with the 12 months, the CTMCA picks a legal fight with the town, in excess of permits or something else. We never ever initiate it. They hold throwing funds absent on vexatious litigation they shed and also have expenses awarded against them. That is solely self-inflicted,” he said.

Soeker explained to the Dabishi Nthambeleni investigators that the most crucial function players on problems with Lottery funding were Stemmet and former CTMCA board member Kevin Momberg, “who had been answerable for all the admin, finances and running หุ้น ชอง 9 the CTMCA.” The investigators reported they had been unable to Make contact with Momberg.

Hats
During their “investigation in loco” in the Primrose Park premises, the investigators “discovered numerous equipment, some in fantastic problem, some in bad affliction and a few that appeared rusty and very aged”. Stemmet advised the investigators that there was also an off-web page storage facility in which “instruments plus some equipment” were held.

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

Depending on images and invoices in GroundUp’s possession, some, if not all, with the objects seem like machines which was illegally faraway from the CTMCA’s past premises. Stemmet is facing costs for this removing.

Based on the last development report submitted into the NLC by the CTMCA, the equipment was obtained from Martin-Conne Milliners, a company where Stemmet, his wife and his daughter had been administrators at the time.

The investigators observed this “alarming”.

“From your CIPC research of Martin-Conne Milliners and also the invoices submitted, we Notice the following alarming getting: Mr Stemmet himself can be a director of Martin-Conne Milliners. The registered handle of the organization is 5 Crete Road, Wetton, Cape Town, the exact same handle on which the museum was intended to be developed and/or converted,” they noted.

An audit by accountants Kopano Included, connected on the investigative report, recorded the CTMCA was in the process of purchasing “machinery, plant and inventory” valued at R8.1-million from Stalph 164 CC, investing as Martin-Conne Milliners. Staph 164 was a close Company of which Stemmet was one among the administrators.

In accordance with Dabishi Nthambeleni, the corporation has paid R1.2-million for a deposit, which means R6.9-million continues to be owed, nevertheless there is absolutely no payment day established for when this must be paid.

The Kopano audit along with the near website link amongst the businesses “point out to us that there's ‘foul Enjoy’ involved with the purchase in the machinery of your museum workshop”, the investigators said in the report.

“We discover that it is really probable that CTMCA utilized the funding of the NLC to ‘refund’ amongst its major administrators for your residence at a greater overpriced amount than the particular price and value of the house and/or equipment.”

Tips
Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded that it was not able to determine how the grant to the CTMCA had been invested.

“The truth is, an in depth report on how the funding of your NLC was used, would be not possible because the CTMCA does not have any receipts, or evidence of payments to verify the amounts used on Every item it requested funding for. The interim report and final report of your CTMCA only connect invoices,” Dabishi Nthambeleni concluded.

The investigators located that the NLC experienced not executed a web site pay a visit to before approving the grant. But this was not conventional follow at the time plus they located no proof of carelessness by NLC staff members.

At the time, the NLC’s policies didn't need funded organisations to submit proof of payment with interim stories, they identified. This meant the CTMCA was able to receive a second tranche of funding without needing to present proof that it had used the first tranche for its supposed intent.

Next the appointment of a new board, commissioner and senior govt crew, the NLC has tightened up on these and also other issues.

Dabishi Nthambeleni recommended that

the NLC decrease any upcoming funding programs with the CTMCA;
the CTMCA and any members who have been linked to the grant be subjected towards the NLC’s “delinquency” course of action;
the NLC open up a prison case of fraud with SAPS or the Hawks for allegations of fraud; and
the NLC start the process of recovering the misappropriated funds.
But, instead of act within the report’s recommendations, the NLC – under its prior administration – selected to suppress it, since it had carried out Using the previous experiences into corruption it had commissioned.

GroundUp sent inquiries to Stemmet and Soeker by way of SMS, and questioned for email addresses to send out the concerns by e mail as well. But no response were obtained at enough time of publication.



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

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