Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed through the Countrywide Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Picture from an investigative report commissioned by the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution just after equipment compensated for with cash with the Lottery was removed from a Cape Town setting up he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court in January.
According to a prosecutor the felony expenses could consist of fraud, elimination of kit that had been connected by the Sheriff and interfering by using a City of Cape Town electricity meter.
The charges stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside a civil courtroom make any difference, is searching for to Get well around R2.five-million in unpaid rent, desire, lawful charges and harm to a rented developing in Crete Street, in the commercial region of Wetton in Cape Town.
The creating was Formerly 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 tradition was supposedly functioning.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution for theft and fraud after devices paid for with Lottery money was faraway from a Cape City constructing.
Stemmet was arrested from the Specialised Business Criminal offense Device on sixteen Oct 2024 and told to appear while in the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket over the working day but the make a difference was not put on the courtroom roll since the investigating officer did not provide the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket in January.
The felony fees stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is searching for to recover over R2.5-million in unpaid hire, fascination, legal expenditures and damage to a rented making in Crete Road, in the economic region of Wetton in Cape City.
The building was Formerly the headquarters of your Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s hundreds of years-aged minstrel culture was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed a number of corporations owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a drugs high flier. Amongst the businesses Stemmet ran in the premises had been a hat manufacturing enterprise in addition to a nightclub. Stemmet has long been arrested various instances for gun and drug-connected offences and served time for armed theft during the eighties.
Based on an SMS despatched to Meuwese from the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court on thirty January 2025.
Although Stemmet is still to become offered which has a charge sheet, attainable rates, contain fraud, elimination of apparatus that were hooked up by the Sheriff, and interfering having a City of Cape City electrical energy meter, In accordance with an e-mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the subject.
A grant of virtually R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was Element of in excess of R64-million in Lottery money allotted for the CTMCA between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of The cash - in excess of R54.three-million - paid from the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economic decades, In line with Countrywide Lotteries Fee (NLC) annual reviews.
Stemmet was appointed a director on the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing หวย รัฐบาล as two of numerous administrators on the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as a director in 2021.
As outlined by Meuwese, the developing was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was certainly one of the directors. The business was deregistered by the businesses and Intellectual Property Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing once-a-year reviews.
A fresh entity Together with the similar title was subsequently registered as A non-public firm, but with Stemmet now not a director, In accordance with CIPC data. Alternatively, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were appointed as administrators.
Around the night of twelve April 2021 and into the next early morning, the Crete Road premises ended up cleared as well as the machinery was eradicated, In line with an affidavit by Meuwese. The equipment was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent while in the Athlone industrial space, which housed a number of of Stemmet’s firms in addition to a new “minstrel museum”, Based on a leaked investigative report commissioned through the NLC. The investigator also photographed the products at the new premises.
On the other hand, the intended new museum internet site, similar to the aged a person in Wetton, was nicely away from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and website visitors couldn't access it. There was no signage within the developing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s enterprises vacated the premises before this yr right after he fell unwell.
The funding to establish a museum wasn't the sole lottery grant that the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC initially refused to expose who experienced been given Covid funding but eventually relented below media and parliamentary strain.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-revenue entities associated with Stemmet and his loved ones and his associates incorporate R1.four-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Gatherings Committee in 2019/twenty, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, In accordance with NLC yearly reports. Stemmet is actually a former director on the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is at present a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which is registered within the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for any “craft, woodwork and design and style programme”. Nevertheless, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC elevated questions on fantastic reports connected to earlier funding gained through the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding obtained with the CTMCA.
Also under investigation is a R1-million payment via the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn 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 spouse of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, toward the purchase of the mansion. Zibsimanzi been given R4.8-million to stage a rural soccer Event in Limpopo soon after Letwaba Individually advised which the grant be paid to his wife’s corporation.
GroundUp despatched inquiries to Stemmet by using SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.