Cape Town - The City of Cape Town has laid charges with the South African Police Service against Pot Stemmet and the board of the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA).
On Saturday 26 January 2019, the CTMCA withdrew from a duly authorised joint event with the Cape District Minstrels Board at Florida Park in Ravensmead and illegally occupied the Belhar Sports Field.
"We understand that Stemmet refused to share costs for additional portable toilets that were required for the Florida Park venue and summarily decided to move his troops to Belhar for their own, illegal event," said Mayco Member for Safety and Security; and Social Services, JP Smith.
"The CTMCA did not have a booking to use the Belhar venue, nor an Events permit."
However, the City said law enforcement agencies advised against evicting the approximately 500 people who had taken over the venue in the interest of the safety of attendees, which included children.
CTMCA withdrew from a duly authorised event at Florida Park in Ravensmead and illegally occupied the Belhar Sports Field. Picture: Jack Lestrade/Daily Voice
"The actions of the CTMCA cannot be condoned. It is for this reason that the City has laid criminal charges of trespassing and holding an illegal gathering in terms of the Gatherings Act. We are also pursuing charges in terms of the Safety at Sports and Recreational Events Act (SASREA) as well as the City’s Events By-law," Smith said.
"There is talk that security guards were intimidated into allowing the group into the venue. If this is true, it could lead to further criminal charges.
"Stemmet and his association have, through their actions, established a pattern of questionable behaviour that sullies the reputation of the minstrels fraternity. It is unfair to the other associations who work very hard, and within the ambit of the law, to remain true to the spirit of what is a significant piece of Cape Town’s cultural and social fabric," Smith added.
According to Smith, in December 2018, the City filed a charge of fraud against the CTMCA at Cape Town Central police station after it emerged that the organisation had composed a fraudulent letter seeking funding, using an old City letterhead.
"The association also owes the City at least R700 000 relating to cost orders from the numerous court challenges that they’ve launched, and lost, in recent years.
"We will be pursuing the recovery of these funds with vigour, because the CTMCA is clearly not acting in good faith and has exhausted our patience," he said.