Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed because of the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Picture from an investigative report commissioned from the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution soon after gear paid for with money through the Lottery was faraway from a Cape City developing he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in courtroom in January.
According to a prosecutor the criminal costs could contain fraud, elimination of equipment that were hooked up from the Sheriff and interfering using a Metropolis of Cape City energy meter.
The costs stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside of a civil court docket subject, is trying to find to Get well over R2.5-million in unpaid lease, interest, legal fees and harm to a rented building in Crete Road, in the economic area of Wetton in Cape Town.
The constructing was previously the headquarters in the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is particularly exactly where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s centuries-old minstrel tradition was supposedly operating.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution for theft and fraud soon after devices paid out for with Lottery money was removed from a Cape City developing.
Stemmet was arrested by the Specialised Professional Crime Device on sixteen October 2024 and instructed to appear from the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom over the day though the issue wasn't put on the court docket roll as the investigating officer didn't supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court docket in January.
The legal charges stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's trying to get to recover above R2.5-million in unpaid lease, curiosity, legal costs and damage to a rented creating in Crete Highway, in the commercial region of Wetton in Cape City.
The setting up was Formerly the headquarters in the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-aged minstrel tradition was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed many businesses owned by Stemmet, whom police have called a drugs significant flier. Amongst the companies Stemmet ran in the premises ended up a hat manufacturing firm along with a nightclub. Stemmet is arrested many periods for gun and drug-associated offences and served time for armed theft within the nineteen eighties.
In accordance with an SMS sent to Meuwese by the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom on 30 January 2025.
Despite the fact that Stemmet is still to get presented that has a charge sheet, probable fees, consist of fraud, elimination of apparatus that were hooked up through the Sheriff, and interfering which has a City of Cape Town electrical power meter, according to an email sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the make a difference.
A grant of almost R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was Portion of in excess of R64-million in Lottery cash allocated on the CTMCA between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - above R54.3-million - paid within the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 financial decades, As outlined by National Lotteries Fee (NLC) once-a-year stories.
Stemmet was appointed a director from the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued สลาก กิน as two of many directors of your organisation. Stemmet was reappointed being a director in 2021.
Based on Meuwese, the making was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was considered one of the administrators. The company was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual House Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing yearly studies.
A different entity While using the exact same name was subsequently registered as a private company, but with Stemmet no longer a director, In accordance with CIPC information. Rather, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as administrators.
About the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the next morning, the Crete Street premises had been cleared and the machinery was eradicated, In line with an affidavit by Meuwese. The gear was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent from the Athlone industrial location, which housed quite a few of Stemmet’s companies plus a new “minstrel museum”, In keeping with a leaked investigative report commissioned from the NLC. The investigator also photographed the products at the new premises.
Even so, the intended new museum web site, much like the previous one particular in Wetton, was properly from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and website visitors could not obtain it. There was no signage to the creating indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s companies vacated the premises previously this year immediately after he fell ill.
The funding to ascertain a museum wasn't the only lottery grant the CTMCA been given. In 2021, the association was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC in the beginning refused to reveal who had obtained Covid funding but eventually relented under media and parliamentary stress.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-earnings entities connected to Stemmet and his relatives and his associates include things like R1.four-million to the Cape Cultural Carnival and Functions Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC once-a-year stories. Stemmet is often a former director of the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at present a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, that's registered in the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road workplaces, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for your “craft, woodwork and style programme”. Having said that, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC elevated questions on outstanding reviews relevant to 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 consequently paid R500,000 of the to legal professionals acting in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted to be a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, an organization in which the spouse of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in direction of the acquisition on the mansion. Zibsimanzi received R4.eight-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo immediately after Letwaba Individually advised the grant be compensated to his spouse’s organization.
GroundUp sent issues to Stemmet via SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.