Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed via the Nationwide Lotteries Commission to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned through the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution immediately after devices paid out for with funds in the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town building he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court docket in January.
In keeping with a prosecutor the legal charges could include things like fraud, removal of apparatus that were hooked up from the Sheriff and interfering that has a Town of Cape Town electrical power meter.
The fees stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a civil court issue, is trying to find to Get better around R2.five-million in unpaid lease, fascination, authorized fees and damage to a rented developing in Crete Highway, in the economic place of Wetton in Cape Town.
The building was Beforehand the headquarters with the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is also exactly where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s centuries-outdated minstrel culture was supposedly running.
Convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution for theft and fraud following devices compensated for with Lottery funds was removed from a Cape Town making.
Stemmet was arrested by the Specialised Business Criminal offense Unit on sixteen Oct 2024 and informed to look while in the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket around the working day but the issue was not put on the court docket roll because the investigating officer did not provide the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court docket in January.
The criminal prices stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's trying to get to Recuperate around R2.5-million in unpaid rent, fascination, legal expenditures and harm to a rented building in Crete Road, in the commercial space of Wetton in Cape City.
The building was Beforehand the headquarters of the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s centuries-outdated minstrel society was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed quite a few businesses owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a medicine significant flier. Amid the companies Stemmet ran within the premises were being a hat manufacturing organization in addition to a nightclub. Stemmet has become arrested various times for gun and drug-relevant offences and served time for armed theft in the 1980s.
Based on an SMS sent to Meuwese by the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court docket on thirty January 2025.
Whilst Stemmet is but for being presented by using a demand sheet, doable fees, consist of fraud, elimination of equipment that had been connected via the Sheriff, and interfering that has a Metropolis of Cape City electrical energy meter, In keeping with an email sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the matter.
A grant of almost R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was A part of over R64-million in Lottery funds allotted to your CTMCA involving 2003 and 2017, with the majority of The cash - about R54.3-million - paid inside the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economic a long time, In keeping with Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) once-a-year studies.
Stemmet was appointed a director from the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ตัว หวย as two of many directors with the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed like a director in 2021.
According to Meuwese, the making was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was amongst the directors. The business was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Residence Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing once-a-year reports.
A brand new entity With all the similar title was subsequently registered as A non-public corporation, but with Stemmet now not a director, In keeping with CIPC documents. Instead, a relative, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk ended up appointed as directors.
Around the night of 12 April 2021 and into the next morning, the Crete Street premises had been cleared and the equipment was removed, As outlined by an affidavit by Meuwese. The tools was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent in the Athlone industrial spot, which housed several of Stemmet’s organizations in addition to a new “minstrel museum”, Based on a leaked investigative report commissioned with the NLC. The investigator also photographed the devices at The brand new premises.
Having said that, the meant new museum web page, such as aged just one in Wetton, was very well faraway from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and people 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 just after he fell ill.
The funding to determine a museum wasn't the sole lottery grant the CTMCA been given. In 2021, the association was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC in the beginning refused to reveal who had acquired Covid funding but eventually relented less than media and parliamentary pressure.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-revenue entities linked 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, according to NLC once-a-year studies. Stemmet is actually a previous director with the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is now 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 any “craft, woodwork and design programme”. Even so, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC raised questions about exceptional stories connected to before funding received from the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding received by the CTMCA.
Also under 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 previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted for a conduit for a further R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a company where the wife of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, towards the purchase of the mansion. Zibsimanzi acquired R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo just after Letwaba personally advisable which the grant be compensated to his spouse’s organization.
GroundUp sent issues to Stemmet via SMS but he experienced not replied by the time of publication.