Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed with the Countrywide Lotteries Commission to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned through the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution following gear compensated for with cash with the Lottery was removed from a Cape City creating he rented.
Stemmet is to look in courtroom in January.
In accordance with a prosecutor the prison expenses could include fraud, elimination of kit that had been attached with the Sheriff and interfering with a City of Cape Town electric power meter.
The fees stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, within a civil courtroom subject, is seeking to recover more than R2.5-million in unpaid rent, interest, lawful prices and harm to a rented constructing in Crete Road, in the industrial area of Wetton in Cape City.
The constructing was Formerly the headquarters of the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) which is in which a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-old minstrel tradition was supposedly operating.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud soon after equipment paid for with Lottery cash was faraway from a Cape City developing.
Stemmet was arrested with the Specialised Business Criminal offense Device on sixteen Oct 2024 and instructed to look during the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket over the working day though the make any difference wasn't placed on the court roll as the investigating officer didn't provide the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom in January.
The criminal rates stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is in search of to recover around R2.5-million in unpaid lease, interest, authorized costs and damage to a rented setting up in Crete Road, in the commercial area of Wetton in Cape Town.
The making was previously the headquarters in the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-aged minstrel culture was supposedly operating.
The premises also housed a number of firms owned by Stemmet, whom police have referred to as a medications substantial flier. Amid the businesses Stemmet ran in the premises had been a hat manufacturing company and a nightclub. Stemmet has long been arrested various instances for gun and drug-associated offences and served time for armed theft within the nineteen eighties.
In line with an SMS despatched to Meuwese through the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court docket on 30 January 2025.
Despite the fact that Stemmet is yet to get introduced with a charge sheet, achievable fees, include fraud, removal of kit that were hooked up via the Sheriff, and interfering with a City of Cape City energy meter, In keeping with an electronic mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the matter.
A grant of just about R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was Portion of greater than R64-million in Lottery resources allocated into the CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - around R54.3-million - compensated within the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economical a long time, In keeping with National Lotteries Commission (NLC) annual stories.
Stemmet was appointed a director of your CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued ผล สลาก as two of many directors 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 corporation of which Stemmet was amongst the directors. The organization 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 identify was subsequently registered as A non-public organization, but with Stemmet not a director, Based on CIPC records. Instead, a relative, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk have been appointed as directors.
To the evening of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Street premises were cleared plus the machinery was taken out, according to an affidavit by Meuwese. The tools was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent during the Athlone industrial region, which housed many of Stemmet’s businesses along with a new “minstrel museum”, In line with a leaked investigative report commissioned because of the NLC. The investigator also photographed the machines at The brand new premises.
Having said that, the intended new museum web-site, similar to the outdated a single in Wetton, was nicely away from any of Cape City’s tourist routes and readers could not access it. There was no signage over the constructing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s companies vacated the premises before this year immediately after he fell ill.
The funding to ascertain a museum wasn't the only real lottery grant that the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC originally refused to expose who experienced gained Covid funding but finally relented below media and parliamentary stress.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-earnings entities connected to Stemmet and his household and his associates include things like R1.4-million to the Cape Cultural Carnival and Activities Committee in 2019/20, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, In keeping with NLC yearly reviews. Stemmet is a previous director in the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at the moment a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which happens to be registered with the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road workplaces, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for just a “craft, woodwork and design and style programme”. Having said that, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC raised questions about fantastic experiences associated with earlier funding obtained through the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding obtained through the CTMCA.
Also below investigation is really a R1-million payment from the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently compensated R500,000 of this 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, a company wherein the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in the direction of the acquisition from the mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.8-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo after Letwaba personally encouraged which the grant be paid to his wife’s firm.
GroundUp despatched thoughts to Stemmet via SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.