Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed from the National Lotteries Commission to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned through the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution soon after devices paid out for with funds in the Lottery was faraway from a Cape City constructing he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court in January.
Based on a prosecutor the criminal rates could include fraud, elimination of kit that had been hooked up from the Sheriff and interfering with a Metropolis of Cape City electrical power meter.
The fees stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside a civil court issue, is seeking to recover more than R2.5-million in unpaid lease, fascination, lawful expenditures and damage to a rented making in Crete Highway, in the economic location of Wetton in Cape Town.
The setting up was Beforehand the headquarters from the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) which is the place a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s hundreds of years-outdated minstrel society was supposedly operating.
Convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud following tools compensated for with Lottery cash was removed from a Cape City making.
Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Professional Crime Unit on sixteen October 2024 and explained to to seem within the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom on the day however the subject wasn't placed on the court roll since the investigating officer did not produce the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in courtroom in January.
The felony charges stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is trying to find to Get better about R2.five-million in unpaid lease, fascination, authorized expenditures and damage to a rented developing in Crete Highway, in the commercial region of Wetton in Cape City.
The constructing was previously the headquarters with the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-aged minstrel culture was supposedly operating.
The premises also housed many businesses owned by Stemmet, whom police have referred to as a prescription drugs large flier. Between the companies Stemmet ran within the premises were being a hat producing enterprise as well as a nightclub. Stemmet has become arrested many periods for gun and drug-linked offences and served time for armed robbery while in the eighties.
In line with an SMS sent to Meuwese through the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in courtroom on thirty January 2025.
Whilst Stemmet is still for being introduced that has a charge sheet, probable prices, contain fraud, removing of equipment that had been hooked up through the Sheriff, and interfering using a Metropolis of Cape Town electric power meter, according to an email despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the make any difference.
A grant of just about R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was Element of more than R64-million in Lottery funds allotted into the CTMCA between 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - over R54.three-million - paid out while in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economic many years, according to Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) yearly experiences.
Stemmet was appointed a director from the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ตัว หวย as two of numerous directors with the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed like a director in 2021.
According to Meuwese, the making was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was certainly one of the administrators. The corporation was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Home Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing once-a-year experiences.
A fresh entity Along with the exact identify was subsequently registered as A personal corporation, but with Stemmet no more a director, In keeping with CIPC documents. In its place, a relative, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were being appointed as directors.
Around the night of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Highway premises have been cleared and also the equipment was removed, according to an affidavit by Meuwese. The devices was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent inside the Athlone industrial space, which housed many of Stemmet’s companies and also a new “minstrel museum”, Based on a leaked investigative report commissioned through the NLC. The investigator also photographed the devices at The brand new premises.
However, the meant new museum site, like the old one in Wetton, was very well away from any of Cape City’s tourist routes and site visitors could not obtain it. There was no signage to the constructing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s organizations vacated the premises before this yr following he fell sick.
The funding to establish a museum was not the one lottery grant which the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC in the beginning refused to reveal who had gained Covid funding but lastly relented beneath media and parliamentary force.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-gain entities associated with Stemmet and his family members and his associates contain R1.4-million for your Cape Cultural Carnival and Functions Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC once-a-year studies. Stemmet can be a former director of your committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is presently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, that's registered at the CTMCA’s previous Crete Highway workplaces, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for just a “craft, woodwork and layout programme”. Nevertheless, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC lifted questions about exceptional stories related to earlier funding obtained because of the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding been given by the CTMCA.
Also below investigation is actually a R1-million payment through the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid R500,000 of the to attorneys acting in the acquisition of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted as a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a firm where the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in the direction of the acquisition in the mansion. Zibsimanzi received R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer Event in Limpopo soon after Letwaba Individually suggested the grant be compensated to his spouse’s organization.
GroundUp despatched thoughts to Stemmet by way of SMS but he had not replied by the point of publication.