Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed by the Countrywide Lotteries Commission to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned with the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution just after equipment compensated for with resources with the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town creating he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court in January.
In line with a prosecutor the legal fees could involve fraud, removing of apparatus that had been attached by the Sheriff and interfering that has a Metropolis of Cape Town electrical power meter.
The fees stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside of a civil courtroom issue, is trying to get to Get well over R2.5-million in unpaid lease, fascination, lawful prices and damage to a rented constructing in Crete Highway, in the industrial spot of Wetton in Cape City.
The setting up was previously the headquarters in the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) which is wherever a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-aged minstrel lifestyle was supposedly functioning.
Convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud right after machines compensated for with Lottery cash was removed from a Cape City building.
Stemmet was arrested by the Specialised Professional Criminal offense Device on sixteen October 2024 and explained to to look from the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court on the day although the make any difference was not put on the court roll since the investigating officer didn't supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court docket in January.
The criminal expenses stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's searching for to Get better about R2.five-million in unpaid rent, interest, legal charges and harm to a rented developing in Crete Road, in the industrial place of Wetton in Cape City.
The constructing was previously the headquarters of your Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-old minstrel lifestyle was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed various enterprises owned by Stemmet, whom police have referred to as a drugs high flier. Between the companies Stemmet ran through the premises ended up a hat producing company as well as a nightclub. Stemmet has actually been arrested several occasions for gun and drug-associated offences and served time for armed theft in the nineteen eighties.
Based on an SMS despatched to Meuwese with the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court on thirty January 2025.
Whilst Stemmet is still to generally be offered by using a cost sheet, attainable fees, incorporate fraud, removing of equipment that were hooked up because of the Sheriff, and interfering using a Town of Cape City electrical power meter, Based on an e-mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the issue.
A grant of just about R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was Portion of much more than R64-million in Lottery funds allocated on the CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of the money - in excess of R54.three-million - paid out inside the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 money several years, In keeping with Countrywide Lotteries Fee (NLC) once-a-year experiences.
Stemmet was appointed a director from the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued หวย หุ้น as two of numerous directors with the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed for a director in 2021.
In line with Meuwese, the creating was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed corporation of which Stemmet was considered one of the directors. The corporate was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Home Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing yearly reviews.
A completely new entity Together with the similar identify was subsequently registered as A personal company, but with Stemmet now not a director, according to CIPC documents. Instead, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk have been appointed as directors.
About the evening of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent early morning, the Crete Street premises ended up cleared and the equipment was taken off, In keeping with an affidavit by Meuwese. The devices was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent during the Athlone industrial place, which housed quite a few of Stemmet’s corporations plus a new “minstrel museum”, Based on a leaked investigative report commissioned with the NLC. The investigator also photographed the equipment at the new premises.
On the other hand, the meant new museum site, much like the outdated a person in Wetton, was well from any of Cape Town’s tourist routes and site visitors could not obtain it. There was no signage on the constructing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s corporations vacated the premises previously this year following he fell ill.
The funding to determine a museum was not the only lottery grant which the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the association was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC at first refused to expose who had been given Covid funding but at last relented beneath media and parliamentary pressure.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-gain entities linked to Stemmet and his household and his associates include R1.4-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Occasions Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, As outlined by NLC once-a-year experiences. Stemmet is usually a previous director with the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is now a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, that's registered with the CTMCA’s former Crete Highway workplaces, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for the “craft, woodwork and design and style programme”. Nonetheless, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC elevated questions on remarkable reviews associated with previously funding been given through the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed the SIU is investigating the lottery funding received through the CTMCA.
Also beneath investigation is often a R1-million payment via the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently compensated R500,000 of the to legal professionals performing in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted to be a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a corporation wherein the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in the direction of the purchase of your mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo following Letwaba Individually advisable that the grant be compensated to his spouse’s organization.
GroundUp despatched queries to Stemmet by means of SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.