Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed by the National Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Picture from an investigative report commissioned from the NLC

Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution following products compensated for with funds from your Lottery was removed from a Cape City building he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court in January.
As outlined by a prosecutor the prison costs could incorporate fraud, elimination of kit that were hooked up because of the Sheriff and interfering that has a Metropolis of Cape City electricity meter.
The costs stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside of a civil courtroom make any difference, is in search of to Get better above R2.five-million in unpaid hire, desire, lawful prices and harm to a rented making in Crete Street, in the industrial region of Wetton in Cape City.
The making was Earlier the headquarters in the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and it is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s centuries-outdated minstrel culture was supposedly running.
Convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution for theft and fraud right after machines paid for with Lottery money was faraway from a Cape City building.

Stemmet was arrested with the Specialised Professional Criminal offense Device on sixteen Oct 2024 and explained to to look within the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on 21 November.

GroundUp attended court around the day however the make a difference was not put on the courtroom roll because the investigating officer didn't supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court in January.

The felony expenses stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's looking for to Get better in excess of R2.five-million in unpaid lease, desire, authorized costs and damage to a rented setting up in Crete Road, in the commercial area of Wetton in Cape Town.

The making was previously the headquarters in the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-old 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 with the premises ended up a hat production organization as well as a nightclub. Stemmet is arrested a number of times for gun and drug-linked offences and served time for armed robbery during the eighties.

Based on an SMS despatched to Meuwese from the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court docket on thirty January 2025.

Though Stemmet is nonetheless for being offered with a charge sheet, achievable prices, include fraud, removal of equipment that were hooked up by the Sheriff, and interfering having a City of Cape City energy meter, In keeping with an electronic mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the make a difference.

A grant of just about R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was Portion of greater than R64-million in Lottery resources allocated to the CTMCA involving 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - over R54.3-million - compensated within the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economical a long time, according to National Lotteries Commission (NLC) yearly experiences.

Stemmet was appointed a director from the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued ตรวจ หวย ย้อน หลัง as two of several directors of the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed for a director in 2021.

In accordance with Meuwese, the setting up was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was considered one of the administrators. The organization was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Residence Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing yearly stories.

A new entity With all the identical name was subsequently registered as a private business, but with Stemmet no longer a director, according to CIPC documents. In its place, a loved one, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk have been appointed as administrators.

To the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the following morning, the Crete Highway premises have been cleared and the equipment 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 enterprises along with 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.

However, the meant new museum web page, like the aged a person in Wetton, was perfectly faraway from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and people could not access it. There was no signage to the constructing indicating that it housed a museum.

Stemmet’s organizations vacated the premises before this yr just after he fell sick.

The funding to determine a museum was not the sole lottery grant which the CTMCA received. In 2021, the association was allocated R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC initially refused to reveal who had acquired Covid funding but at last relented under media and parliamentary stress.

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 Gatherings Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, Based on NLC once-a-year stories. Stemmet can be a former director of your committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is presently a director.

And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, that's registered in the CTMCA’s previous Crete Highway offices, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for the “craft, woodwork and style programme”. On the other hand, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC raised questions about remarkable experiences associated with earlier funding acquired because of the CTMCA.

GroundUp has verified the SIU is investigating the lottery funding acquired with the CTMCA.

Also beneath investigation is often a R1-million payment with the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid R500,000 of the to attorneys performing in the acquisition of a 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 firm during which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, to the purchase of your mansion. Zibsimanzi acquired R4.eight-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo immediately after Letwaba personally advisable which the grant be compensated to his wife’s organization.

GroundUp despatched thoughts to Stemmet by way of SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.