Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed because of the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned with the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution after tools paid out for with money through the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town constructing he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court in January.
Based on a prosecutor the criminal charges could involve fraud, elimination of kit that had been connected from the Sheriff and interfering which has a City of Cape City electrical power meter.
The fees stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, within a civil court docket make any difference, is seeking to Get better about R2.five-million in unpaid hire, interest, legal expenditures and harm to a rented creating in Crete Highway, in the economic region of Wetton in Cape Town.
The making was previously the headquarters in the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is the place a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s hundreds of years-old minstrel society was supposedly working.
Convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution for theft and fraud following gear compensated for with Lottery money was removed from a Cape City building.
Stemmet was arrested because of the Specialised Business Crime Unit on sixteen Oct 2024 and instructed to seem inside the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court around the working day though the issue wasn't put on the court docket roll as the investigating officer didn't produce the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court docket in January.
The prison fees stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's trying to find to recover above R2.5-million in unpaid rent, interest, legal fees and damage to a rented developing in Crete Street, in the commercial location of Wetton in Cape Town.
The developing was Beforehand the headquarters with the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s generations-aged minstrel society was supposedly working.
The premises also housed many firms owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have referred to as a medicine substantial flier. Among the the businesses Stemmet ran with the premises were a hat production company plus a nightclub. Stemmet has become arrested several situations for gun and drug-similar offences and served time for armed theft during the eighties.
As outlined by an SMS despatched to Meuwese with the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket on 30 January 2025.
Though Stemmet is still to become introduced that has a charge sheet, feasible costs, consist of fraud, removing of apparatus that had been hooked up from the Sheriff, and interfering having a City of Cape Town electrical power meter, Based on an e-mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the issue.
A grant of virtually R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was Element of greater than R64-million in Lottery funds allotted into the CTMCA between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - in excess of R54.3-million - paid from the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 financial decades, In keeping with Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) once-a-year stories.
Stemmet was appointed a director with the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ตรวจ สลากกินแบ่ง รัฐบาล as two of several administrators in the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as being a director in 2021.
Based on Meuwese, the setting up was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was among the administrators. The business was deregistered by the businesses and Intellectual Residence Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing once-a-year studies.
A brand new entity Along with the exact same name was subsequently registered as A non-public enterprise, but with Stemmet now not a director, In line with CIPC documents. Rather, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk ended up appointed as administrators.
About the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the next morning, the Crete Highway premises were cleared as well as the equipment was eradicated, In keeping with an affidavit by Meuwese. The equipment was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent during the Athlone industrial spot, which housed a number of of Stemmet’s companies and a new “minstrel museum”, As outlined by a leaked investigative report commissioned through the NLC. The investigator also photographed the equipment at the new premises.
On the other hand, the meant new museum internet site, like the old one particular in Wetton, was nicely far from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and visitors couldn't access it. There was no signage within the constructing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s firms vacated the premises previously this yr right after he fell ill.
The funding to determine a museum was not the only real lottery grant the CTMCA been given. In 2021, the association was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC to begin with refused to expose who had been given Covid funding but at last relented beneath media and parliamentary tension.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-income entities associated with Stemmet and his loved ones and his associates include things like R1.four-million for the Cape Cultural Carnival and Activities Committee in 2019/20, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, In keeping with NLC once-a-year stories. Stemmet is usually a previous director with the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is at present a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, that is registered at the CTMCA’s previous Crete Street offices, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for the “craft, woodwork and design and style programme”. However, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC elevated questions on excellent stories linked to previously funding received because of the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained by the CTMCA.
Also below investigation can be a R1-million payment via the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently compensated R500,000 of this to attorneys acting in the acquisition of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted for a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a firm where the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, toward the purchase from the mansion. Zibsimanzi received R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo just after Letwaba personally proposed that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s firm.
GroundUp despatched inquiries to Stemmet via SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.