Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed via the Countrywide Lotteries Commission 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 gear paid for with money with the Lottery was removed from a Cape Town creating he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court in January.
In accordance with a prosecutor the criminal costs could consist of fraud, removing of apparatus that were connected with the Sheriff and interfering having a Metropolis of Cape City electric power meter.
The charges stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside of a civil court issue, is seeking to Recuperate about R2.five-million in unpaid hire, interest, legal fees and harm to a rented making in Crete Highway, in the economic location of Wetton in Cape Town.
The creating was Formerly the headquarters from the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is particularly exactly where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s generations-aged minstrel society was supposedly running.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution for theft and fraud following devices paid for with Lottery cash was faraway from a Cape Town setting up.
Stemmet was arrested with the Specialised Industrial Criminal offense Unit on sixteen October 2024 and explained to to seem from the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom within the working day but the make a difference was not placed on the court docket roll as the investigating officer didn't provide the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court in January.
The criminal expenses stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is trying to find to Get well over R2.5-million in unpaid rent, curiosity, legal expenditures and harm to a rented making in Crete Street, in the commercial location of Wetton in Cape Town.
The building was Beforehand the headquarters with the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s centuries-aged minstrel tradition was supposedly operating.
The premises also housed quite a few enterprises owned by Stemmet, whom police have described as a medicine significant flier. Amid the businesses Stemmet ran within the premises had been a hat production company plus a nightclub. Stemmet is arrested many periods for gun and drug-similar offences and served time for armed theft during the nineteen eighties.
In line with an SMS sent to Meuwese with the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court on thirty January 2025.
While Stemmet is nonetheless being offered with a cost sheet, feasible charges, incorporate fraud, removing of equipment that had been connected by the Sheriff, and interfering using a Metropolis of Cape City electrical energy meter, according to an e-mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the issue.
A grant of virtually R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was Section of much more than R64-million in Lottery resources allotted on the CTMCA among 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - above R54.three-million - compensated from the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economical decades, Based on Countrywide Lotteries Fee (NLC) annual reports.
Stemmet was appointed a director of your CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued หวย ไทยรัฐ as two of many directors of the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed for a director in 2021.
According to Meuwese, the building was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was amongst the directors. The corporate was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Property Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting yearly experiences.
A whole new entity Using the identical title was subsequently registered as A non-public enterprise, but with Stemmet no longer a director, In line with CIPC data. Instead, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk have been appointed as directors.
Around the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Road premises were being cleared and the equipment was taken off, In keeping with an affidavit by Meuwese. The products was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent while in the Athlone industrial location, which housed quite a few of Stemmet’s firms and a new “minstrel museum”, As outlined by a leaked investigative report commissioned from the NLC. The investigator also photographed the products at The brand new premises.
Nonetheless, the intended new museum internet site, such as aged one in Wetton, was well away from any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and readers couldn't accessibility it. There was no signage within the building indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s enterprises vacated the premises before this yr right after he fell unwell.
The funding to ascertain a museum wasn't the one lottery grant that the CTMCA been given. In 2021, the association was allocated R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC originally refused to expose who had acquired Covid funding but finally relented beneath media and parliamentary tension.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-revenue entities linked to Stemmet and his household and his associates involve R1.four-million with the Cape Cultural Carnival and Situations Committee in 2019/twenty, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, As outlined by NLC yearly studies. Stemmet can be a former director of the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is now a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, that's registered with the CTMCA’s previous Crete Street places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for just a “craft, woodwork and layout programme”. Nonetheless, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC raised questions about remarkable reports connected with previously funding been given from the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding acquired via the CTMCA.
Also under investigation is actually a R1-million payment with the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid 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 for a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, an organization by which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in the direction of the acquisition with the mansion. Zibsimanzi acquired R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Event in Limpopo immediately after Letwaba personally encouraged that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s enterprise.
GroundUp sent queries to Stemmet by using SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.