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

Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution just after tools paid out for with resources from your Lottery was removed from a Cape Town building he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court in January.
In line with a prosecutor the felony fees could consist of fraud, removing of kit that had been hooked up because of the Sheriff and interfering with a Town of Cape Town electrical energy meter.
The charges stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in the civil court make any difference, is trying to find to recover above R2.five-million in unpaid lease, interest, legal expenditures and damage to a rented creating in Crete Street, in the commercial region of Wetton in Cape Town.
The constructing was Beforehand the headquarters of the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and it is wherever a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s centuries-previous minstrel society was supposedly functioning.
Convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution for theft and fraud right after products compensated for with Lottery cash was faraway from a Cape Town creating.

Stemmet was arrested through the Specialised Commercial Criminal offense Unit on 16 Oct 2024 and advised to look from the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Courtroom on 21 November.

GroundUp attended court docket to the day though the subject wasn't put on the courtroom roll since the investigating officer didn't deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court in January.

The legal charges stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's looking for to recover over R2.five-million in unpaid hire, interest, lawful costs and harm to a rented setting up in Crete Highway, in the commercial area of Wetton in Cape City.

The making was Earlier the headquarters in 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 culture was supposedly running.

The premises also housed a number of businesses owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a prescription drugs substantial flier. Among the businesses Stemmet ran with the premises were a hat producing organization in addition to a nightclub. Stemmet is arrested many periods for gun and drug-related offences and served time for armed theft from the nineteen eighties.

According to an SMS despatched to Meuwese via the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom on 30 January 2025.

Although Stemmet is however to become introduced by using a charge sheet, attainable expenses, contain fraud, removing of equipment that were hooked up with the Sheriff, and interfering with a City of Cape Town energy meter, As outlined by an electronic 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 Section of much more than R64-million in Lottery resources allocated into the CTMCA between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - in excess of R54.three-million - paid out during the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 monetary decades, In accordance with Countrywide Lotteries Fee (NLC) yearly reports.

Stemmet was appointed a director of your CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ผล หวย ลาว วัน นี้ as two of many directors of your organisation. Stemmet was reappointed for a director in 2021.

In accordance with Meuwese, the developing was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was one among the directors. The business was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Property Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting yearly stories.

A completely new entity With all the very same title was subsequently registered as A personal company, but with Stemmet now not a director, according to CIPC records. Rather, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as directors.

On the night of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent early morning, the Crete Road premises had been cleared as well as the 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 place, which housed quite a few of Stemmet’s corporations plus a new “minstrel museum”, In accordance with a leaked investigative report commissioned by the NLC. The investigator also photographed the products at The brand new premises.

Even so, the intended new museum web-site, just like the old a single in Wetton, was very well clear of any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and people could not accessibility it. There was no signage within the creating indicating that it housed a museum.

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

The funding to determine a museum was not the sole lottery grant which the CTMCA obtained. In 2021, the association was allotted R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC originally refused to expose who experienced received Covid funding but last but not least relented underneath media and parliamentary pressure.

Other lottery grants allocated to non-earnings entities connected to Stemmet and his relatives and his associates include R1.4-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Situations Committee in 2019/twenty, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, Based on NLC annual reviews. Stemmet is actually a former director of the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at the moment a director.

And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, that is registered at the CTMCA’s previous Crete Street places of work, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for a “craft, woodwork and design programme”. Having said that, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC lifted questions about fantastic reports connected to earlier funding gained from the CTMCA.

GroundUp has verified which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding acquired because of the CTMCA.

Also less than investigation is really a R1-million payment through the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn paid R500,000 of the to attorneys acting 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 former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in the direction of the acquisition in the mansion. Zibsimanzi been given R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo after Letwaba Individually suggested the grant be compensated to his wife’s corporation.

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