Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed from the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned because of the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution just after equipment compensated for with cash from the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town building he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court in January.
Based on a prosecutor the prison fees could consist of fraud, removing of equipment that had been hooked up through the Sheriff and interfering with a Metropolis of Cape City electrical power meter.
The charges stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in the civil court docket make any difference, is in search of to Get well around R2.5-million in unpaid lease, fascination, lawful expenses and damage to a rented constructing in Crete Street, in the economic area of Wetton in Cape City.
The building was Beforehand the headquarters of your Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is where by a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s centuries-aged minstrel lifestyle was supposedly operating.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud right after equipment paid out for with Lottery resources was faraway from a Cape Town developing.
Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Business Crime Device on sixteen October 2024 and instructed to appear from the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom over the working day however the subject wasn't put on the courtroom roll since the investigating officer did not produce the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom in January.
The felony rates stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is seeking to Get better around R2.5-million in unpaid hire, fascination, legal prices and damage to a rented building in Crete Street, in the commercial area of Wetton in Cape Town.
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 town’s generations-aged minstrel tradition was supposedly working.
The premises also housed several firms owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a drugs higher flier. Amongst the businesses Stemmet ran in the premises had been a hat manufacturing business along with a nightclub. Stemmet continues to be arrested several situations for gun and drug-similar offences and served time for armed robbery within the nineteen eighties.
As outlined by an SMS sent to Meuwese because of the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in courtroom on thirty January 2025.
Though Stemmet is however being presented by using a demand sheet, feasible prices, consist of fraud, removing of equipment that had been hooked up by the Sheriff, and interfering by using a Metropolis of Cape City electric power meter, according to an email sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the matter.
A grant of just about R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was Section of a lot more than R64-million in Lottery money allotted to your CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of the money - over R54.three-million - paid out from the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economical yrs, In line with Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) yearly experiences.
Stemmet was appointed a director on the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued ตรวจ หวย ลาว วัน นี้ as two of a number of administrators with the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed to be a director in 2021.
According to Meuwese, the setting up was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was among the administrators. The company was deregistered by the Companies and Mental Assets Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing yearly experiences.
A fresh entity with the similar identify was subsequently registered as A personal business, but with Stemmet no longer a director, In line with CIPC documents. As a substitute, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as directors.
On the night of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Road premises were being cleared and also the equipment was taken out, As outlined by an affidavit by Meuwese. The gear was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent inside the Athlone industrial region, which housed quite a few of Stemmet’s corporations as well as a new “minstrel museum”, according to a leaked investigative report commissioned because of the NLC. The investigator also photographed the gear at the new premises.
Having said that, the meant new museum website, much like the outdated a person in Wetton, was well away from any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and people could not entry it. There was no signage on the creating indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s corporations vacated the premises previously this year right after he fell ill.
The funding to determine a museum was not the only real lottery grant the CTMCA received. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC originally refused to expose who experienced acquired Covid funding but at last relented below media and parliamentary strain.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-profit entities linked to Stemmet and his household and his associates include things like R1.four-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Gatherings Committee in 2019/twenty, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC once-a-year experiences. Stemmet is a previous director with the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is at present a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which is registered at the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road workplaces, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 for the “craft, woodwork and style programme”. However, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC lifted questions about outstanding stories connected with before funding been given from the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding obtained through the CTMCA.
Also beneath investigation can be a R1-million payment because of the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently compensated 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 being a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a firm where the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, to the acquisition on the mansion. Zibsimanzi obtained R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Event in Limpopo immediately after Letwaba personally recommended the grant be compensated to his spouse’s corporation.
GroundUp despatched queries to Stemmet by using SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.