The Cape Minstrels really are an institution around these parts, with their familiar twirling umbrellas and colourful getups being crowd pleasers over the years.

Unfortunately all is not well in the Minstrel community, and by ‘not well’ we mean in the toilet.

At the centre of the shitstorm is Richard “Pot” Stemmet, a man previously convicted of armed robbery, gun- and drug-related offences. Stemmet controls the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association, an organisation that last year received a whopping R41 million in funding.

Despite this cash injection, the association failed to put on the annual Kaapse Klopse Carnival, the biggest event of the year, citing political squabbling as the reason. This from TimesLive:

The carnival was postponed after mudslinging between the minstrels and Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille, who abruptly took leave this week, leaving councillor Brett Herron to negotiate a new date for the event.

De Lille branded the committee liars for claiming that the city had not given its full support to the carnival.

Stemmet said his organisation has nothing to hide and accused the city of Cape Town of financial mismanagement.

Let’s hope there is a happy ending to this one and these guys and girls can get back to doing what they do best.

You can read the full story on TimesLive.