Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed via the Countrywide Lotteries Fee to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned with the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution immediately after devices paid out for with money in the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town creating he rented.
Stemmet is to look in courtroom in January.
In accordance with a prosecutor the prison fees could contain fraud, removing of equipment that had been connected by the Sheriff and interfering that has a Town of Cape Town electrical power meter.
The costs stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a civil court issue, is trying to find to Get better over R2.five-million in unpaid hire, desire, authorized expenditures and damage to a rented constructing in Crete Highway, in the economic area of Wetton in Cape Town.
The developing was previously the headquarters from the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-previous minstrel tradition was supposedly running.
Convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution for theft and fraud just after devices paid for with Lottery resources was removed from a Cape City making.
Stemmet was arrested through the Specialised Commercial Criminal offense Device on 16 Oct 2024 and told to appear while in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket to the working day although the make a difference was not placed on the court roll because the investigating officer did not deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in courtroom in January.
The prison costs stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is seeking to Get better more than R2.5-million in unpaid hire, interest, legal charges and damage to a rented developing in Crete Highway, in the economic area of Wetton in Cape Town.
The developing was previously the headquarters on the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s generations-old minstrel tradition was supposedly running.
The premises also housed numerous companies owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have described as a medicine higher flier. Between the companies Stemmet ran through the premises ended up a hat production corporation in addition to a nightclub. Stemmet has become arrested quite a few situations for gun and drug-similar offences and served time for armed robbery within the nineteen eighties.
According to an SMS despatched to Meuwese because of the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in courtroom on thirty January 2025.
Despite the fact that Stemmet is however being introduced by using a charge sheet, feasible rates, consist of fraud, elimination of apparatus that were hooked up through the Sheriff, and interfering with a Metropolis of Cape City electrical power meter, In line with an email sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the make any difference.
A grant of almost R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was Section of over R64-million in Lottery money allocated on the CTMCA concerning 2003 and 2017, with the majority of The cash - about R54.three-million - paid while in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 fiscal several years, In keeping with Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) once-a-year experiences.
Stemmet was appointed a director with the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued ตรวจ หวย ผล สลากกินแบ่ง รัฐบาล งวด as two of many directors of the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed to be a director in 2021.
Based on Meuwese, the creating was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was among the administrators. The organization was deregistered by the Companies and Mental Assets Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing once-a-year reports.
A fresh entity While using the exact same name was subsequently registered as a private firm, but with Stemmet no more a director, In keeping with CIPC documents. In its place, a relative, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were being appointed as administrators.
About the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Road premises were being cleared as well as machinery was removed, according to an affidavit by Meuwese. The machines was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent during the Athlone industrial place, which housed many of Stemmet’s companies and also a new “minstrel museum”, In accordance with a leaked investigative report commissioned via the NLC. The investigator also photographed the gear at the new premises.
On the other hand, the meant new museum web page, like the old a single in Wetton, was very well clear of any of Cape City’s tourist routes and visitors couldn't accessibility it. There was no signage on the building indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s enterprises vacated the premises previously this year immediately after he fell ill.
The funding to determine a museum wasn't the sole lottery grant the CTMCA received. In 2021, the association was allotted R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC originally refused to expose who experienced been given Covid funding but lastly relented beneath media and parliamentary force.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-profit entities linked to Stemmet and his family members and his associates incorporate R1.4-million for your Cape Cultural Carnival and Functions Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, Based on NLC once-a-year stories. Stemmet can be a former director of the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at present a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, and that is registered on the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road places of work, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 to get a “craft, woodwork and style and design programme”. Nonetheless, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC lifted questions about exceptional stories related to earlier funding obtained with the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified the SIU is investigating the lottery funding been given by the CTMCA.
Also below investigation is actually a R1-million payment with the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid R500,000 of this to legal professionals performing in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted being a conduit for a further R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a company in which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, to the purchase of the mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.8-million to stage a rural soccer Event in Limpopo soon after Letwaba personally advisable which the grant be paid to his wife’s company.
GroundUp sent inquiries to Stemmet by using SMS but he experienced not replied by the time of publication.