Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed because of the Nationwide Lotteries Commission to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned by the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution soon after equipment paid for with money in the Lottery was removed from a Cape City making he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court in January.
In accordance with a prosecutor the prison expenses could consist of fraud, removal of equipment that were connected with the Sheriff and interfering using a City of Cape City energy meter.
The costs stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a civil court make any difference, is seeking to Get better more than R2.5-million in unpaid hire, interest, legal prices and damage to a rented making in Crete Highway, in the economic area of Wetton in Cape City.
The building was previously the headquarters on the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) which is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s centuries-old minstrel culture was supposedly functioning.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution for theft and fraud soon after products paid for with Lottery cash was removed from a Cape City making.
Stemmet was arrested through the Specialised Professional Criminal offense Unit on 16 Oct 2024 and informed to seem within the Wynberg Magistrate’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom on the day even so the make any difference wasn't put on the court docket roll because the investigating officer did not deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court in January.
The legal fees stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is trying to get to Get well around R2.five-million in unpaid lease, curiosity, authorized expenditures and damage to a rented developing in Crete Street, in the economic place of Wetton in Cape Town.
The creating was previously the headquarters from the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s hundreds of years-previous minstrel culture was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed several organizations owned by Stemmet, whom police have called a drugs substantial flier. Among the companies Stemmet ran through the premises had been a hat production corporation and a nightclub. Stemmet has become arrested various occasions for gun and drug-relevant offences and served time for armed theft in the 1980s.
In keeping with an SMS sent to Meuwese with the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket on 30 January 2025.
Despite the fact that Stemmet is still being offered having a demand sheet, doable prices, incorporate fraud, removing of equipment that had been connected with the Sheriff, and interfering having a Metropolis of Cape City electrical power meter, In accordance with an electronic mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the subject.
A grant of just about R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was A part of in excess of R64-million in Lottery funds allotted to your CTMCA among 2003 and 2017, with the majority of The cash - above R54.3-million - compensated inside the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economic a long time, As outlined by Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) once-a-year reports.
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 as two of many directors from the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as being a director in 2021.
In accordance with Meuwese, the creating was leased to Stalph 164, a close Company of which Stemmet was considered one of the directors. The company was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Assets Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing once-a-year studies.
A completely new entity Together with the same name was subsequently registered as a private firm, but with Stemmet no more a director, according to CIPC records. As an alternative, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk have been appointed as directors.
Within the night of twelve April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Street premises were cleared and the equipment was taken off, In line with an affidavit by Meuwese. The gear was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent in the Athlone industrial spot, which housed many of Stemmet’s companies and also a new “minstrel museum”, In accordance with a leaked investigative report commissioned via the NLC. The investigator also photographed the tools at the new premises.
Having said that, the supposed new museum internet site, similar to the aged a single in Wetton, was perfectly far from any of Cape Town’s tourist routes and guests couldn't obtain it. There was no signage on the developing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s organizations vacated the premises before this calendar year immediately after he fell ill.
The funding to determine a museum was not the one lottery grant which the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC initially refused to reveal who had gained Covid funding but lastly relented beneath media and parliamentary tension.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-earnings entities associated with Stemmet and his family and his associates contain R1.4-million to the Cape Cultural Carnival and Gatherings Committee in 2019/twenty, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC once-a-year experiences. Stemmet is really a previous director of the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at this time a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which can be registered with the CTMCA’s former Crete Highway workplaces, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 for any “craft, woodwork and layout programme”. Nevertheless, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC lifted questions about remarkable reviews connected to earlier funding acquired via the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding obtained through the CTMCA.
Also beneath investigation is often a R1-million payment via the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently paid out R500,000 of this to lawyers performing in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted being a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, an organization during which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in direction of the purchase with the mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer Match in Limpopo right after Letwaba Individually suggested the grant be paid to his wife’s enterprise.
GroundUp sent questions to Stemmet by means of SMS but he experienced not replied by the time of publication.