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

Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution soon after products paid for with resources with the Lottery was removed from a Cape City constructing he rented.
Stemmet is to look in courtroom in January.
In accordance with a prosecutor the prison fees could contain fraud, elimination of kit that had been connected because of the Sheriff and interfering using a Metropolis of Cape City electricity meter.
The charges stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in the civil courtroom make any difference, is looking for to Recuperate above R2.5-million in unpaid rent, interest, lawful prices and harm to a rented constructing in Crete Street, in the industrial space of Wetton in Cape City.
The constructing was Formerly the headquarters of the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is particularly the place a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-old minstrel lifestyle was supposedly operating.
Convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud immediately after tools paid out for with Lottery resources was removed from a Cape Town creating.

Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Commercial Crime Unit on 16 October 2024 and informed to appear while in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Courtroom on 21 November.

GroundUp attended court within the day nevertheless the issue was not put on the courtroom roll since the investigating officer did not produce the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court in January.

The prison prices stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's looking for to Get better in excess of R2.5-million in unpaid lease, desire, authorized prices 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 working.

The premises also housed many corporations owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have referred to as a medicine significant flier. Between the businesses Stemmet ran through the premises have been a hat manufacturing business along with a nightclub. Stemmet is arrested numerous instances for gun and drug-associated offences and served time for armed theft inside the nineteen eighties.

As outlined by an SMS sent to Meuwese with the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court on 30 January 2025.

Whilst Stemmet is however being introduced having a charge sheet, achievable prices, include fraud, removal of kit that were hooked up via the Sheriff, and interfering using a Metropolis of Cape City energy meter, Based on an e-mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the issue.

A grant of almost R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was A part of over R64-million in Lottery money allocated into the CTMCA concerning 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - in excess of R54.3-million - compensated from the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 fiscal years, In keeping with Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) annual studies.

Stemmet was appointed a director from the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing หวย as two of numerous administrators in the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as a director in 2021.

In line with Meuwese, the building was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was considered one of the administrators. The company was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting once-a-year reports.

A new entity Using the identical name was subsequently registered as a private company, but with Stemmet now not a director, In keeping with CIPC data. As an alternative, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were being appointed as directors.

On the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Highway premises have been cleared and also the machinery was eradicated, In accordance with an affidavit by Meuwese. The machines was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent inside the Athlone industrial place, which housed several of Stemmet’s firms in addition to a new “minstrel museum”, Based on a leaked investigative report commissioned through the NLC. The investigator also photographed the products at the new premises.

Nonetheless, the supposed new museum website, just like the old a person in Wetton, was perfectly faraway from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and website visitors could not obtain it. There was no signage within the developing indicating that it housed a museum.

Stemmet’s enterprises vacated the premises previously this calendar year right after he fell unwell.

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 initially refused to reveal who had acquired Covid funding but eventually relented less than media and parliamentary pressure.

Other lottery grants allocated to non-revenue entities linked to Stemmet and his loved ones and his associates contain R1.4-million for the Cape Cultural Carnival and Occasions Committee in 2019/twenty, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, In line with NLC annual experiences. Stemmet is often a former director of the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is presently a director.

And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, which can be registered at the CTMCA’s former Crete Highway offices, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/20, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 to get a “craft, woodwork and style and design programme”. Nevertheless, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC elevated questions on superb reports linked to previously funding acquired because of the CTMCA.

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

Also beneath investigation is actually a R1-million payment through the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn compensated R500,000 of this to lawyers performing in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.

MDU also acted to be a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a company wherein the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in the direction of the acquisition of the mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo just after Letwaba personally advisable which the grant be compensated to his spouse’s organization.

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