Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed with the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned via the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution soon after products paid for with funds through the Lottery was removed from a Cape City making he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court docket in January.
Based on a prosecutor the prison fees could include things like fraud, elimination of kit that were attached via the Sheriff and interfering by using a Town of Cape Town energy meter.
The charges stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a very civil court docket matter, is in search of to Get well around R2.five-million in unpaid hire, fascination, authorized expenditures and harm to a rented building in Crete Road, in the industrial area of Wetton in Cape City.
The building was previously the headquarters of the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is also wherever a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s centuries-outdated minstrel tradition was supposedly functioning.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution for theft and fraud right after tools compensated for with Lottery money was faraway from a Cape Town making.
Stemmet was arrested from the Specialised Professional Crime Unit on 16 October 2024 and explained to to appear inside the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket around the day even so the make any difference wasn't put on the court roll since the investigating officer didn't produce the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court in January.
The legal rates stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is in search of to Get well about R2.five-million in unpaid hire, fascination, authorized charges and damage to a rented setting up in Crete Street, in the economic location of Wetton in Cape City.
The developing was Beforehand the headquarters on the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-outdated minstrel culture was supposedly working.
The premises also housed quite a few organizations owned by Stemmet, whom police have described as a medications significant flier. Among the the companies Stemmet ran with the premises were being a hat producing enterprise and a nightclub. Stemmet continues to be arrested numerous instances for gun and drug-connected offences and served time for armed robbery during the eighties.
In accordance with an SMS sent to Meuwese because of the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket on thirty January 2025.
Despite the fact that Stemmet is yet for being presented having a demand sheet, possible prices, involve fraud, removal of apparatus that had been connected through the Sheriff, and interfering with a Town of Cape Town electric power meter, In accordance with an electronic mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the make a difference.
A grant of virtually R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was part of over R64-million in Lottery money allocated on the CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of the money - more than R54.3-million - paid out inside the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economical yrs, according to Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) yearly reviews.
Stemmet was appointed a director of the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing หวย วัน นี้ as two of many directors in the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as a director in 2021.
In accordance with Meuwese, the creating was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed corporation of which Stemmet was one among the administrators. The corporate was deregistered by the Companies and Mental Home Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting annual stories.
A whole new entity Using the similar identify was subsequently registered as A non-public corporation, but with Stemmet now not a director, In accordance with CIPC data. Instead, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk ended up appointed as directors.
Within the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the subsequent early morning, the Crete Road premises were cleared as well as the machinery was removed, In accordance with an affidavit by Meuwese. The gear was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent within the Athlone industrial region, which housed a number of of Stemmet’s companies and also a new “minstrel museum”, Based on a leaked investigative report commissioned via the NLC. The investigator also photographed the equipment at the new premises.
However, the supposed new museum web-site, like the outdated a person in Wetton, was well away from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and visitors couldn't obtain it. There was no signage within the making indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s corporations vacated the premises previously this yr following he fell unwell.
The funding to determine a museum was not the only real lottery grant the CTMCA obtained. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC in the beginning refused to reveal who experienced acquired Covid funding but lastly relented underneath 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 to the Cape Cultural Carnival and Situations Committee in 2019/twenty, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, In accordance with NLC annual reviews. Stemmet is actually a former director from the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is now a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, which can be registered at the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road workplaces, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for your “craft, woodwork and layout programme”. Nonetheless, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC elevated questions on exceptional stories associated with previously funding been given from the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding acquired because of the CTMCA.
Also less than investigation is really a R1-million payment through the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn 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 like a conduit for a further R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a corporation wherein the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, toward the purchase of the mansion. Zibsimanzi been given R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo immediately after Letwaba personally proposed that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s firm.
GroundUp despatched concerns to Stemmet by means of SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.