Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed with the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned because of the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution immediately after equipment paid for with money with the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town developing he rented.
Stemmet is to look in courtroom in January.
As outlined by a prosecutor the legal charges could consist of fraud, elimination of equipment that had been connected from the Sheriff and interfering that has a City of Cape Town electricity meter.
The charges stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, within a civil courtroom matter, is trying to find to recover above R2.five-million in unpaid hire, fascination, authorized expenditures and damage to a rented constructing in Crete Road, in the industrial area of Wetton in Cape City.
The constructing was Formerly the headquarters from the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and it is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s centuries-aged minstrel lifestyle was supposedly operating.
Convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud right after equipment paid out for with Lottery funds was removed from a Cape City developing.
Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Industrial Criminal offense Device on sixteen Oct 2024 and explained to to appear within the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court within the day even so the make a difference wasn't put on the courtroom roll since the investigating officer didn't produce the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court in January.
The prison prices stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is trying to find to Get better about R2.5-million in unpaid rent, interest, legal expenses and harm to a rented developing in Crete Highway, in the commercial location of Wetton in Cape Town.
The building was Earlier the headquarters with the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-old minstrel lifestyle was supposedly operating.
The premises also housed various firms owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a medications significant flier. Among the the companies Stemmet ran in the premises had been a hat production organization and also a nightclub. Stemmet has been arrested a number of occasions for gun and drug-connected offences and served time for armed theft within the nineteen eighties.
In accordance with an SMS despatched to Meuwese by the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court docket on 30 January 2025.
Although Stemmet is still to become offered with a charge sheet, doable expenses, include things like fraud, removing of equipment that had been attached because of the Sheriff, and interfering with a Metropolis of Cape Town energy meter, In accordance with an e mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the subject.
A grant of just about R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was part of over R64-million in Lottery money allocated into the CTMCA concerning 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - around R54.3-million - paid during the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 fiscal a long time, Based on Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) annual stories.
Stemmet was appointed a director from the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ผล สลาก as two of several administrators in the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as being a director in 2021.
In accordance with Meuwese, the building was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was one of the directors. The business was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Residence Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing once-a-year experiences.
A new entity Using the identical name was subsequently registered as a private company, but with Stemmet now not a director, In keeping with CIPC data. Alternatively, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as administrators.
About the night of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Highway premises have been cleared and the machinery was eradicated, In line with an affidavit by Meuwese. The equipment was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent while in the Athlone industrial space, which housed a number of of Stemmet’s firms in addition to a new “minstrel museum”, Based on a leaked investigative report commissioned with the NLC. The investigator also photographed the products at the new premises.
Even so, the intended new museum internet site, much like the previous 1 in Wetton, was nicely away from any of Cape City’s tourist routes and site visitors couldn't entry it. There was no signage about the developing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s businesses vacated the premises previously this calendar year soon after he fell unwell.
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 R1.5-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC to begin with refused to expose who experienced received Covid funding but last but not least relented underneath media and parliamentary tension.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-profit entities linked to Stemmet and his loved ones and his associates incorporate R1.4-million to the Cape Cultural Carnival and Activities Committee in 2019/20, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC yearly studies. Stemmet is actually a previous director with the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is currently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, that is registered within the CTMCA’s former Crete Street offices, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 for the “craft, woodwork and style programme”. On the other hand, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC elevated questions about remarkable reports linked to previously funding gained via the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding been given via the CTMCA.
Also less than investigation is a R1-million payment by the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently paid out R500,000 of this to legal professionals acting in the acquisition of a R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted for a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, an organization in which the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in direction of the acquisition on the mansion. Zibsimanzi received R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer Event in Limpopo soon after Letwaba Individually suggested the grant be compensated to his spouse’s company.
GroundUp sent inquiries to Stemmet by using SMS but he experienced not replied by the time of publication.