Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed via the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Picture from an investigative report commissioned with the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution right after devices paid out for with resources with the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town setting up he rented.
Stemmet is to look in court in January.
In keeping with a prosecutor the legal prices could consist of fraud, removing of kit that had been hooked up through the Sheriff and interfering that has a Metropolis of Cape City energy meter.
The fees stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in the civil courtroom make a difference, is searching for to Recuperate over R2.five-million in unpaid hire, interest, legal expenditures and harm to a rented making in Crete Street, in the commercial spot of Wetton in Cape Town.
The developing was previously the headquarters of your Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is particularly wherever a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s generations-previous minstrel culture was supposedly running.
Convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution for theft and fraud soon after gear paid out for with Lottery resources was removed from a Cape Town constructing.
Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Industrial Crime Unit on 16 October 2024 and instructed to look in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court within the day nevertheless the issue was not placed on the court docket roll because the investigating officer did not deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court in January.
The criminal costs stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's in search of to Get well above R2.five-million in unpaid lease, curiosity, lawful expenditures and damage to a rented setting up in Crete Street, in the economic spot of Wetton in Cape City.
The creating was Beforehand the headquarters in the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-old minstrel lifestyle was supposedly working.
The premises also housed several firms owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have described as a medications higher flier. Among the businesses Stemmet ran through the premises were being a hat manufacturing organization and also a nightclub. Stemmet has been arrested several occasions for gun and drug-related offences and served time for armed theft during the nineteen eighties.
Based on an SMS despatched to Meuwese via the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court docket on 30 January 2025.
Although Stemmet is yet to generally be offered with a demand sheet, probable prices, contain fraud, removing of equipment that were hooked up with the Sheriff, and interfering which has a City of Cape Town energy meter, As outlined by an email sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the make any difference.
A grant of just about R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was part of a lot more than R64-million in Lottery money allocated into the CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of the money - more than R54.3-million - paid within the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 money yrs, In keeping with Countrywide Lotteries Fee (NLC) once-a-year stories.
Stemmet was appointed a director on the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing หวย ลาว ย้อน หลัง as two of numerous administrators on the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as being a director in 2021.
According to Meuwese, the making was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was amongst the directors. The corporate was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Home Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing yearly experiences.
A fresh entity Along with the exact identify was subsequently registered as A personal company, but with Stemmet no longer a director, according to CIPC records. Instead, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were being appointed as administrators.
Within the night of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Highway premises have been cleared and also the equipment was removed, As outlined by an affidavit by Meuwese. The gear was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent from the Athlone industrial region, which housed many of Stemmet’s businesses plus a new “minstrel museum”, according to a leaked investigative report commissioned through the NLC. The investigator also photographed the products at The brand new premises.
On the other hand, the meant new museum web page, like the aged a person in Wetton, was well away from any of Cape City’s tourist routes and visitors couldn't entry it. There was no signage within the developing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s businesses vacated the premises previously this yr just after he fell sick.
The funding to determine a museum was not the one lottery grant which the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC to begin with refused to expose who experienced received Covid funding but last but not least relented less than media and parliamentary pressure.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-revenue entities connected to Stemmet and his household and his associates involve R1.four-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Gatherings Committee in 2019/twenty, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, In accordance with NLC annual experiences. Stemmet is a previous director in the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at the moment a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which happens to be registered with the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road workplaces, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 to get a “craft, woodwork and style and design programme”. Nonetheless, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC lifted questions on excellent studies connected to before funding received from the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding received from the CTMCA.
Also below investigation is actually a R1-million payment through the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn compensated R500,000 of the to lawyers performing in the purchase 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 during which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, to the purchase with the mansion. Zibsimanzi obtained R4.eight-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo immediately after Letwaba personally advisable which the grant be compensated to his wife’s organization.
GroundUp despatched thoughts to Stemmet by way of SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.