Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed via the National Lotteries Commission to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Picture from an investigative report commissioned via the NLC

Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution after equipment compensated for with cash with the Lottery was removed from a Cape City constructing he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court docket in January.
According to a prosecutor the prison fees could include things like fraud, elimination of kit that had been connected by the Sheriff and interfering which has a Metropolis of Cape City electrical energy meter.
The fees stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside a civil courtroom make a difference, is trying to get to recover about R2.five-million in unpaid hire, desire, lawful expenses and damage to a rented creating in Crete Street, in the industrial region of Wetton in Cape City.
The setting up was Beforehand the headquarters of the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and it is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-old minstrel society was supposedly working.
Convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution for theft and fraud soon after gear compensated for with Lottery funds was faraway from a Cape City developing.

Stemmet was arrested with the Specialised Professional Criminal offense Unit on 16 October 2024 and informed to seem while in the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Courtroom on 21 November.

GroundUp attended courtroom to the working day although the make any difference wasn't put on the court roll because the investigating officer didn't supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court in January.

The prison prices stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is searching for to recover around R2.5-million in unpaid hire, curiosity, lawful fees and harm to a rented creating in Crete Highway, in the industrial place of Wetton in Cape Town.

The creating was Beforehand the headquarters from the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-aged minstrel culture was supposedly operating.

The premises also housed numerous corporations owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have referred to as a medicine superior flier. Among the the companies Stemmet ran within the premises were being a hat production firm and also a nightclub. Stemmet has long been arrested quite a few periods for gun and drug-relevant offences and served time for armed robbery in the nineteen eighties.

In line with an SMS sent to Meuwese because of the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court on 30 January 2025.

Despite the fact that Stemmet is but to be introduced using a demand sheet, achievable expenses, include fraud, elimination of equipment that were connected through the Sheriff, and interfering with a City of Cape Town electric power meter, Based on an e-mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the make a difference.

A grant of almost R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was Portion of a lot more than R64-million in Lottery money allocated towards the CTMCA in between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - about R54.3-million - paid out within the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economical several years, In accordance with Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) annual studies.

Stemmet was appointed a director of the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued ผล หวย หุ้น as two of quite a few administrators on the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed like a director in 2021.

In accordance with Meuwese, the building was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was among the administrators. The company was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Residence Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing once-a-year reports.

A fresh entity Along with the same identify was subsequently registered as A personal corporation, but with Stemmet no more a director, In keeping with CIPC documents. As a substitute, a loved one, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as directors.

On the night of twelve April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Street premises were cleared as well as machinery was removed, Based on an affidavit by Meuwese. The equipment was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent during the Athlone industrial space, which housed several of Stemmet’s corporations and a new “minstrel museum”, In line with a leaked investigative report commissioned because of the NLC. The investigator also photographed the equipment at The brand new premises.

Nevertheless, the supposed new museum site, just like the old one in Wetton, was nicely far from any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and website visitors could not accessibility it. There was no signage within the constructing indicating that it housed a museum.

Stemmet’s enterprises vacated the premises previously this year just after he fell sick.

The funding to establish a museum wasn't the sole lottery grant which the CTMCA been given. In 2021, the association was allotted R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC originally refused to expose who had gained Covid funding but lastly relented underneath media and parliamentary pressure.

Other lottery grants allocated to non-earnings entities associated with Stemmet and his spouse and children and his associates include things like R1.four-million with the Cape Cultural Carnival and Events Committee in 2019/twenty, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, In line with NLC yearly reviews. Stemmet is really a previous director of your committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at the moment a director.

And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which happens to be registered with the CTMCA’s former Crete Street offices, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for your “craft, woodwork and design and style programme”. However, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC lifted questions about fantastic reports connected with before funding been given from the CTMCA.

GroundUp has confirmed the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained by the CTMCA.

Also below investigation can be a R1-million payment because of 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 former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.

MDU also acted as a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a firm through which the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in direction of the acquisition of your mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo just after Letwaba personally encouraged which the grant be paid to his wife’s enterprise.

GroundUp despatched concerns to Stemmet by means of SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.