Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed through the National Lotteries Commission to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned with the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution following products paid for with funds from the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town setting up he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court in January.
According to a prosecutor the felony expenses could consist of fraud, elimination of kit that had been connected via the Sheriff and interfering using a Town of Cape City electrical power meter.
The charges stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside a civil courtroom subject, is seeking to recover above R2.5-million in unpaid rent, interest, legal costs and harm to a rented setting up in Crete Highway, in the commercial location of Wetton in Cape Town.
The setting up was Earlier the headquarters on the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is also exactly where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-old minstrel lifestyle was supposedly working.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution for theft and fraud soon after tools compensated for with Lottery money was faraway from a Cape Town developing.
Stemmet was arrested through the Specialised Professional Crime Device on sixteen Oct 2024 and advised to look within the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court about the working day although the make any difference wasn't put on the courtroom roll because the investigating officer didn't produce the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in courtroom in January.
The legal costs stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's searching for to recover over R2.5-million in unpaid rent, fascination, lawful charges and harm to a rented making in Crete Road, in the commercial area of Wetton in Cape Town.
The setting up was Formerly the headquarters of your Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s hundreds of years-outdated minstrel society was supposedly working.
The premises also housed many enterprises owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a medications significant flier. Among the the companies Stemmet ran with the premises ended up a hat production organization as well as a nightclub. Stemmet is arrested a number of occasions for gun and drug-related offences and served time for armed robbery within the nineteen eighties.
In keeping with an SMS sent to Meuwese by the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court docket on thirty January 2025.
Though Stemmet is nonetheless to become offered which has a charge sheet, achievable prices, consist of fraud, elimination of apparatus that were connected via the Sheriff, and interfering with a Town of Cape City energy meter, according to an email despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the make a difference.
A grant of just about R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was Portion of over R64-million in Lottery funds allotted towards the CTMCA between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - around R54.3-million - compensated inside the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 financial several years, Based on Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) annual studies.
Stemmet was appointed a director of your CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued fox888 as two of numerous administrators on the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as a director in 2021.
As outlined by Meuwese, the developing was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was amongst the directors. The organization was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual House Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing yearly studies.
A different entity Along with the exact identify was subsequently registered as A non-public firm, but with Stemmet not a director, Based on CIPC records. Instead, a loved one, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk have been appointed as administrators.
About the evening of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Highway premises had been cleared as well as machinery was taken out, according to an affidavit by Meuwese. The products was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent in the Athlone industrial location, which housed various of Stemmet’s businesses as well as a new “minstrel museum”, In line with a leaked investigative report commissioned because of the NLC. The investigator also photographed the machines at The brand new premises.
Having said that, the meant new museum web page, such as outdated one particular in Wetton, was effectively far from any of Cape City’s tourist routes and guests couldn't accessibility it. There was no signage on the setting up indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s firms vacated the premises earlier this 12 months after he fell sick.
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 to begin with refused to expose who experienced been given Covid funding but lastly relented beneath media and parliamentary force.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-financial gain entities associated with Stemmet and his family and his associates include R1.four-million with the Cape Cultural Carnival and Gatherings Committee in 2019/twenty, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, Based on NLC once-a-year stories. Stemmet is actually a previous director with the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is now a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which is registered for the CTMCA’s former Crete Street places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/20, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for a “craft, woodwork and layout programme”. However, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC elevated questions on superb reports linked to previously funding acquired because of the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified the SIU is investigating the lottery funding acquired through the CTMCA.
Also beneath investigation is actually a R1-million payment through the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn compensated 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 to be a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a company wherein the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in the direction of the acquisition from the mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo after Letwaba personally encouraged which the grant be paid to his wife’s firm.
GroundUp despatched thoughts to Stemmet via SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.