Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed through the Countrywide Lotteries Fee to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned by the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution just after devices paid out for with funds in the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town making he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in courtroom in January.
In keeping with a prosecutor the criminal costs could include things like fraud, removing of equipment that had been attached from the Sheriff and interfering by using a Metropolis of Cape Town electrical energy meter.
The costs stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside a civil courtroom matter, is trying to find to recover more than R2.5-million in unpaid lease, fascination, lawful charges and harm to a rented making in Crete Highway, in the economic space of Wetton in Cape City.
The setting up was Beforehand the headquarters of your Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and it is in which a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s centuries-previous minstrel tradition was supposedly working.
Convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution for theft and fraud just after devices paid for with Lottery money was faraway from a Cape Town creating.
Stemmet was arrested from the Specialised Professional Crime Unit on sixteen October 2024 and told to look during the Wynberg Magistrate’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court within the working day though the subject wasn't placed on the court docket roll because the investigating officer did not supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court docket in January.
The felony costs stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's searching for to Recuperate above R2.5-million in unpaid hire, curiosity, legal costs and harm to a rented making in Crete Street, in the commercial spot of Wetton in Cape City.
The making was Formerly the headquarters from the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-old minstrel lifestyle was supposedly operating.
The premises also housed various organizations owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a medications significant flier. Among the businesses Stemmet ran in the premises have been a hat production firm and also a nightclub. Stemmet has actually been arrested several occasions for gun and drug-associated offences and served time for armed theft while in the 1980s.
Based on an SMS despatched to Meuwese from the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court on 30 January 2025.
Even though Stemmet is nonetheless to get introduced using a cost sheet, achievable rates, incorporate fraud, removing of kit that were hooked up from the Sheriff, and interfering that has a Town of Cape City electricity meter, In line with an e mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the make a difference.
A grant of almost R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was A part of greater than R64-million in Lottery resources allotted for the CTMCA between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of The cash - above R54.three-million - paid while in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 financial yrs, Based on Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) once-a-year reports.
Stemmet was appointed a director in the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ตรวจ หวย ลาว as two of several administrators of the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed being a director in 2021.
Based on Meuwese, the making was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed Company of which Stemmet was among the directors. The corporate was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Assets Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing once-a-year experiences.
A completely new entity Using the exact same name was subsequently registered as A personal enterprise, but with Stemmet no more a director, In line with CIPC information. Rather, a relative, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk ended up appointed as directors.
Over the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the following morning, the Crete Highway premises had been cleared as well as machinery was taken off, Based on an affidavit by Meuwese. The devices was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent in the Athlone industrial spot, which housed quite a few of Stemmet’s companies plus a new “minstrel museum”, As outlined by a leaked investigative report commissioned by the NLC. The investigator also photographed the gear at The brand new premises.
However, the meant new museum web page, such as outdated one particular in Wetton, was properly far from any of Cape City’s tourist routes and guests couldn't accessibility it. There was no signage on the setting up indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s firms vacated the premises before this yr after he fell ill.
The funding to ascertain a museum wasn't the only lottery grant the CTMCA gained. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC originally refused to expose who experienced gained Covid funding but at last relented under media and parliamentary stress.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-revenue entities linked to Stemmet and his loved ones and his associates incorporate R1.4-million for the Cape Cultural Carnival and Occasions Committee in 2019/twenty, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, In line with NLC annual experiences. Stemmet is often a former director of the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is presently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, that is registered within the CTMCA’s former Crete Street places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/20, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for just a “craft, woodwork and design and style programme”. Having said that, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC raised questions about fantastic stories related to earlier funding received from the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding been given by the CTMCA.
Also less than investigation is usually a R1-million payment via the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid R500,000 of the to attorneys performing in the acquisition of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted as being a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a business by which the spouse of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in direction of the acquisition in the mansion. Zibsimanzi been given R4.8-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo after Letwaba personally encouraged which the grant be paid to his wife’s organization.
GroundUp despatched issues to Stemmet via SMS but he had not replied by the point of publication.