Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed through the Countrywide Lotteries Commission to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned with the NLC

Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution soon after devices compensated for with cash within the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town constructing he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court in January.
According to a prosecutor the prison fees could involve fraud, removal of kit that had been hooked up by the Sheriff and interfering having a City of Cape City electricity meter.
The fees stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, within a civil court docket make a difference, is trying to get to Recuperate above R2.5-million in unpaid lease, desire, authorized costs and harm to a rented making in Crete Road, in the economic region of Wetton in Cape Town.
The setting up was Earlier the headquarters in the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is particularly the place a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-old minstrel culture was supposedly working.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud immediately after machines paid out for with Lottery money was faraway from a Cape City constructing.

Stemmet was arrested through the Specialised Commercial Criminal offense Device on 16 Oct 2024 and informed to look while in the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court on 21 November.

GroundUp attended courtroom around the day although the subject was not put on the court roll since the investigating officer didn't deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in courtroom in January.

The legal rates stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is trying to find to recover above R2.five-million in unpaid lease, fascination, lawful fees and damage to a rented constructing in Crete Highway, in the economic area of Wetton in Cape Town.

The creating was Earlier the headquarters with the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-old minstrel lifestyle was supposedly operating.

The premises also housed many corporations owned by Stemmet, whom police have referred to as a medicines high flier. Among the the businesses Stemmet ran from your premises were being a hat manufacturing corporation as well as a nightclub. Stemmet continues to be arrested various occasions for gun and drug-connected offences and served time for armed theft during the eighties.

According to an SMS despatched to Meuwese with the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court on 30 January 2025.

Though Stemmet is but for being introduced by using a charge sheet, achievable expenses, consist of fraud, removing of apparatus that were hooked up through the Sheriff, and interfering that has a City of Cape Town energy meter, In line with an email sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the make a difference.

A grant of virtually R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was Section of in excess of R64-million in Lottery cash allocated towards the CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - more than R54.three-million - compensated while in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 money decades, As outlined by Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) once-a-year reports.

Stemmet was appointed a director with the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing หวย วัน นี้ as two of a number of administrators on the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed like a director in 2021.

Based on Meuwese, the setting up was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was certainly one of the directors. The company was deregistered by the Companies and Mental Home Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing annual studies.

A completely new entity With all the exact name was subsequently registered as a private business, but with Stemmet no more a director, according to CIPC records. Rather, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as directors.

Over the night of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent early morning, the Crete Road premises were cleared plus the machinery was taken off, In accordance with an affidavit by Meuwese. The equipment was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent while in the Athlone industrial area, which housed many of Stemmet’s organizations and a new “minstrel museum”, In line with a leaked investigative report commissioned via the NLC. The investigator also photographed the equipment at The brand new premises.

However, the meant new museum site, like the old one in Wetton, was well clear of any of Cape City’s tourist routes and readers couldn't entry it. There was no signage about the constructing indicating that it housed a museum.

Stemmet’s organizations vacated the premises before this yr soon after he fell unwell.

The funding to ascertain a museum wasn't the one lottery grant which the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC originally refused to expose who experienced received Covid funding but eventually relented less than media and parliamentary pressure.

Other lottery grants allocated to non-income entities connected to Stemmet and his relatives and his associates involve R1.four-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Situations Committee in 2019/twenty, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, In line with NLC annual reports. Stemmet is a previous director in the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is now a director.

And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, that is registered within the CTMCA’s former Crete Street offices, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for the “craft, woodwork and design programme”. Even so, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC raised questions about fantastic experiences connected with previously funding gained via the CTMCA.

GroundUp has verified which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding been given by the CTMCA.

Also under investigation is a R1-million payment from the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently compensated R500,000 of this to lawyers performing in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.

MDU also acted like a conduit for a further R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a company wherein the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, toward the purchase with the mansion. Zibsimanzi acquired R4.eight-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo just after Letwaba personally recommended that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s company.

GroundUp sent inquiries to Stemmet by using SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.