Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed by the National Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned via the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution just after tools paid out for with cash in the Lottery was removed from a Cape City constructing he rented.
Stemmet is to look in court docket in January.
In accordance with a prosecutor the felony charges could contain fraud, elimination of equipment that were connected because of the Sheriff and interfering that has a City of Cape City electrical power meter.
The charges stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a civil court docket issue, is trying to get to Recuperate more than R2.5-million in unpaid hire, desire, authorized costs and damage to a rented building in Crete Road, in the commercial area of Wetton in Cape Town.
The constructing was previously the headquarters with the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is also the place a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s centuries-old minstrel culture was supposedly functioning.
Convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud soon after gear compensated for with Lottery money was faraway from a Cape Town setting up.
Stemmet was arrested because of the Specialised Industrial Criminal offense Device on sixteen October 2024 and advised to seem during the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court within the day although the make any difference wasn't put on the courtroom roll since the investigating officer did not deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court docket in January.
The felony prices stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's trying to find to Get well above R2.5-million in unpaid lease, curiosity, lawful charges and damage to a rented setting up in Crete Street, in the economic spot of Wetton in Cape Town.
The constructing was previously the headquarters with the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-aged minstrel tradition was supposedly operating.
The premises also housed many companies owned by Stemmet, whom police have called a medicines significant flier. Among the businesses Stemmet ran in the premises had been a hat production corporation in addition to a nightclub. Stemmet continues to be arrested numerous moments for gun and drug-relevant offences and served time for armed robbery in the 1980s.
According to an SMS despatched to Meuwese through the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom on thirty January 2025.
Despite the fact that Stemmet is however to generally be presented which has a charge sheet, doable costs, include things like fraud, removing of equipment that had been attached with the Sheriff, and interfering that has a Metropolis of Cape Town electric power meter, In keeping with an electronic mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the make a difference.
A grant of almost R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was Component of in excess of R64-million in Lottery cash allocated to the CTMCA concerning 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - above R54.three-million - paid out inside the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 financial decades, As outlined by National Lotteries Fee (NLC) once-a-year studies.
Stemmet was appointed a director in the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing cat888 as two of quite a few directors from the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed for a director in 2021.
In line with Meuwese, the building was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was one of the directors. The corporate was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Property Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting yearly stories.
A new entity With all the very same title was subsequently registered as A non-public firm, but with Stemmet not a director, In line with CIPC data. Alternatively, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as administrators.
About the night of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Highway premises have been cleared and the machinery was removed, In line with an affidavit by Meuwese. The gear was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent from the Athlone industrial area, which housed many of Stemmet’s businesses as well as a new “minstrel museum”, As outlined by a leaked investigative report commissioned by the NLC. The investigator also photographed the gear at the new premises.
Nevertheless, the supposed new museum website, such as the previous a single in Wetton, was effectively far from any of Cape City’s tourist routes and guests couldn't accessibility it. There was no signage around the setting up indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s corporations vacated the premises earlier this 12 months following he fell sick.
The funding to establish 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 had gained Covid funding but finally relented beneath media and parliamentary force.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-gain entities linked to Stemmet and his family members and his associates contain R1.4-million for your Cape Cultural Carnival and Occasions Committee in 2019/twenty, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, As outlined by NLC yearly reviews. Stemmet is really a previous director on the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is currently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, that is registered within the CTMCA’s former Crete Highway offices, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for the “craft, woodwork and style programme”. Having said that, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC elevated questions on excellent studies connected to earlier funding received because of the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding received from the CTMCA.
Also underneath investigation is usually a R1-million payment via the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently paid out R500,000 of this to lawyers performing in the acquisition of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted for a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, an organization by which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, to the purchase from the mansion. Zibsimanzi received R4.eight-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo just after Letwaba personally proposed which the grant be paid to his wife’s firm.
GroundUp despatched queries to Stemmet by way of SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.