Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed through the Countrywide Lotteries Commission to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned through the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution right after products paid out for with cash with the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town constructing he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court in January.
In line with a prosecutor the criminal rates could involve fraud, elimination of kit that had been attached via the Sheriff and interfering with a Town of Cape Town electric power meter.
The charges stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, within a civil court docket make a difference, is searching for to Get better more than R2.5-million in unpaid lease, fascination, authorized expenditures and harm to a rented developing in Crete Road, in the industrial location of Wetton in Cape Town.
The creating was Formerly the headquarters on the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and it is in which a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-previous minstrel society was supposedly working.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud following devices paid for with Lottery money was faraway from a Cape City developing.
Stemmet was arrested with the Specialised Professional Crime Unit on 16 Oct 2024 and informed to look from the Wynberg Magistrate’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket within the working day however the subject wasn't placed on the courtroom roll because the investigating officer did not deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court docket in January.
The felony rates stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is trying to find to Get well around R2.five-million in unpaid lease, fascination, legal prices and damage to a rented creating in Crete Road, in the economic location of Wetton in Cape City.
The making was previously the headquarters with the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s centuries-outdated minstrel society was supposedly operating.
The premises also housed various firms owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a medications superior flier. Amongst the businesses Stemmet ran in the premises had been a hat manufacturing organization as well as a nightclub. Stemmet has long been arrested quite a few situations for gun and drug-linked offences and served time for armed robbery while in the 1980s.
According to an SMS despatched to Meuwese with the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in courtroom on thirty January 2025.
While Stemmet is nevertheless to be offered using a demand sheet, achievable prices, contain fraud, elimination of kit that were attached from the Sheriff, and interfering that has a Town of Cape City electric power meter, according to an email despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the subject.
A grant of virtually R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was Section of in excess of R64-million in Lottery money allocated into the CTMCA concerning 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - in excess of R54.3-million - paid out inside the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 monetary decades, As outlined by National Lotteries Commission (NLC) once-a-year reviews.
Stemmet was appointed a director with the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued ตรวจ หวย ลาว as two of quite a few directors of the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed for a director in 2021.
In line with Meuwese, the building was leased to Stalph 164, a close Company of which Stemmet was one of the directors. The business was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Assets Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting annual reviews.
A whole new entity While using the same identify was subsequently registered as A personal enterprise, but with Stemmet now not a director, In keeping with CIPC documents. In its place, a loved one, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk ended up appointed as directors.
On the night of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Street premises had been cleared as well as machinery was removed, As outlined by an affidavit by Meuwese. The gear was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent from the Athlone industrial region, which housed various of Stemmet’s companies plus a new “minstrel museum”, In keeping with a leaked investigative report commissioned from the NLC. The investigator also photographed the tools at the new premises.
Even so, the intended new museum internet site, much like the previous a single in Wetton, was effectively far from any of Cape City’s tourist routes and site visitors couldn't entry it. There was no signage to the creating indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s organizations vacated the premises before this yr after he fell sick.
The funding to determine a museum was not the one lottery grant which the CTMCA obtained. In 2021, the association was allotted R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC at first refused to reveal who experienced been given Covid funding but lastly relented beneath media and parliamentary force.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-gain entities associated with Stemmet and his family and his associates consist of R1.4-million for the Cape Cultural Carnival and Occasions Committee in 2019/twenty, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, In line with NLC annual reviews. Stemmet is usually a previous director of your committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at present a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, and that is registered for the CTMCA’s former Crete Highway offices, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for a “craft, woodwork and style and design programme”. Having said that, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC elevated questions on exceptional stories associated with previously funding acquired with the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding received with the CTMCA.
Also underneath investigation is a R1-million payment by the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn compensated R500,000 of the to legal professionals performing in the purchase of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted being a conduit for a further R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, an organization by which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, towards the acquisition from the mansion. Zibsimanzi been given R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer Event in Limpopo immediately after Letwaba personally encouraged that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s business.
GroundUp sent questions to Stemmet through SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.