Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed through the Countrywide Lotteries Fee to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned by the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution just after devices paid out for with money in the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town building he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court in January.
According to a prosecutor the legal charges could involve fraud, removal of apparatus that were hooked up through the Sheriff and interfering which has a City of Cape Town electric power meter.
The fees stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, within a civil courtroom issue, is trying to get to Get better over R2.five-million in unpaid hire, fascination, authorized charges and damage to a rented creating in Crete Road, in the industrial space of Wetton in Cape City.
The constructing was Formerly the headquarters of the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is particularly the place a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-old minstrel lifestyle was supposedly operating.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud immediately after gear paid out for with Lottery cash was faraway from a Cape City creating.
Stemmet was arrested because of the Specialised Commercial Crime Unit on 16 Oct 2024 and told to appear while in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom within the day nevertheless the issue was not put on the courtroom roll since the investigating officer did not produce the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court in January.
The prison fees stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's looking for to Get better above R2.five-million in unpaid rent, desire, legal prices and damage to a rented making in Crete Road, in the commercial space of Wetton in Cape Town.
The constructing was Beforehand the headquarters in the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-old minstrel culture was supposedly operating.
The premises also housed numerous corporations owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have referred to as a medications significant flier. Between the companies Stemmet ran through the premises had been a hat manufacturing company in addition to a nightclub. Stemmet has been arrested various moments for gun and drug-associated offences and served time for armed theft inside the nineteen eighties.
In line with an SMS despatched to Meuwese through the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court on 30 January 2025.
While Stemmet is however to get introduced with a charge sheet, achievable prices, include fraud, removal of equipment that were hooked up via the Sheriff, and interfering using a Metropolis of Cape City electrical energy meter, As outlined by an electronic mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the subject.
A grant of just about R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was Section of much more than R64-million in Lottery cash allocated towards the CTMCA between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - about R54.3-million - paid while in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economical many years, As outlined by Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) yearly stories.
Stemmet was appointed a director from the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued หวย หุ้น ช่อง 9 as two of several directors of the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed to be a director in 2021.
According to Meuwese, the setting up was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was one among the administrators. The business was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Property Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting annual reports.
A fresh entity While using the exact same name was subsequently registered as A non-public firm, but with Stemmet not a director, In line with CIPC information. As an alternative, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were being appointed as administrators.
Around the night of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Street premises were 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 during the Athlone industrial location, which housed several of Stemmet’s corporations as well as a new “minstrel museum”, In keeping with a leaked investigative report commissioned from the NLC. The investigator also photographed the devices at The brand new premises.
Nevertheless, the intended new museum web page, just like the previous one particular in Wetton, was perfectly away from any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and readers couldn't obtain it. There was no signage within the constructing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s corporations vacated the premises previously this year just after he fell ill.
The funding to establish a museum wasn't the only lottery grant which the CTMCA been given. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC to begin with refused to expose who had gained Covid funding but lastly relented less than media and parliamentary stress.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-revenue entities connected to Stemmet and his spouse and children and his associates contain R1.4-million for your Cape Cultural Carnival and Functions Committee in 2019/20, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, In keeping with NLC annual reviews. Stemmet is really a previous director on the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at the moment a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, that is registered within the CTMCA’s former Crete Highway workplaces, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 to get a “craft, woodwork and structure programme”. On the other hand, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC elevated questions on outstanding studies associated with previously funding been given through the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained because of the CTMCA.
Also less than investigation is a R1-million payment by the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently compensated R500,000 of the to attorneys acting in the acquisition of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted like a conduit for a further R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a corporation wherein the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, toward the purchase of your mansion. Zibsimanzi acquired R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo following Letwaba Individually suggested the grant be compensated to his spouse’s organization.
GroundUp despatched concerns to Stemmet through SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.