Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed from the National Lotteries Commission to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Picture from an investigative report commissioned with the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution just after tools compensated for with resources through the Lottery was faraway from a Cape City setting up he rented.
Stemmet is to look in court docket in January.
Based on a prosecutor the legal prices could consist of fraud, removal of equipment that had been hooked up via the Sheriff and interfering that has a City of Cape City energy meter.
The costs stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a civil courtroom matter, is looking for to recover in excess of R2.five-million in unpaid rent, interest, legal fees and damage to a rented constructing in Crete Street, in the commercial location of Wetton in Cape Town.
The creating was Formerly the headquarters on the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is also the place a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-previous minstrel culture was supposedly operating.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud following tools paid for with Lottery money was faraway from a Cape City setting up.
Stemmet was arrested because of the Specialised Business Criminal offense Unit on sixteen Oct 2024 and advised to appear from the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court around the working day nevertheless the make a difference wasn't placed on the court docket roll because the investigating officer did not supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court in January.
The criminal prices stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's seeking to Get well over R2.five-million in unpaid rent, fascination, authorized fees and damage to a rented making in Crete Highway, in the economic space of Wetton in Cape City.
The developing was previously the headquarters from the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-previous minstrel tradition was supposedly running.
The premises also housed various corporations owned by Stemmet, whom police have referred to as a medicine substantial flier. Among the the companies Stemmet ran from your premises were a hat producing enterprise as well as a nightclub. Stemmet has been arrested many occasions for gun and drug-linked offences and served time for armed theft in the nineteen eighties.
In accordance with an SMS sent to Meuwese through the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket on 30 January 2025.
Although Stemmet is yet being presented with a cost sheet, attainable prices, include things like fraud, elimination of equipment that were attached by the Sheriff, and interfering which has a Metropolis of Cape City electrical power meter, As outlined by an e mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the matter.
A grant of almost R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was part of more than R64-million in Lottery funds allotted into the CTMCA in between 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - more than R54.3-million - compensated in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economic decades, Based on National Lotteries Fee (NLC) yearly reviews.
Stemmet was appointed a director of the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued fox888 as two of several administrators in the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as being a director in 2021.
In accordance with Meuwese, the developing was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed corporation of which Stemmet was amongst the directors. The corporation was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Assets Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing once-a-year reviews.
A new entity with the identical title was subsequently registered as A non-public enterprise, but with Stemmet now not a director, In line with CIPC documents. Instead, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as directors.
Within the evening of 12 April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Street premises had been cleared along with the machinery was taken off, In keeping with an affidavit by Meuwese. The products was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent inside the Athlone industrial area, which housed many of Stemmet’s businesses plus a new “minstrel museum”, Based on a leaked investigative report commissioned with the NLC. The investigator also photographed the equipment at The brand new premises.
Having said that, the supposed new museum site, much like the outdated just one in Wetton, was well clear of any of Cape City’s tourist routes and website visitors couldn't accessibility it. There was no signage about the constructing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s organizations vacated the premises earlier this 12 months soon after he fell sick.
The funding to determine a museum was not the one lottery grant which the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the association was allocated R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC to begin with refused to expose who had acquired Covid funding but finally relented beneath media and parliamentary tension.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-earnings entities connected to Stemmet and his family and his associates contain R1.4-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Situations Committee in 2019/twenty, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, In accordance with NLC yearly reviews. Stemmet is actually a previous director of your committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at present a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which is registered within the CTMCA’s former Crete Highway offices, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for your “craft, woodwork and layout programme”. Nevertheless, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC lifted questions about exceptional experiences linked to previously funding gained by the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding obtained through the CTMCA.
Also beneath investigation can be a R1-million payment because of the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently compensated R500,000 of the to attorneys performing in the acquisition of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted to be a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a business during which the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in the direction of the acquisition on the mansion. Zibsimanzi obtained R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo right after Letwaba Individually advised which the grant be compensated to his wife’s corporation.
GroundUp despatched queries to Stemmet by means of SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.