“Pot” Stemmet faces costs over theft of Lottery-funded devices
“Pot” Stemmet faces costs over theft of Lottery-funded devices
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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 immediately after machines compensated for with money through the Lottery was removed from a Cape City constructing he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court docket in January.
In keeping with a prosecutor the legal charges could include fraud, elimination of kit that had been connected by the Sheriff and interfering by using a Town of Cape Town electric power meter.
The fees stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, within a civil courtroom subject, is looking for to Recuperate in excess of R2.5-million in unpaid rent, curiosity, legal expenses and damage to a rented developing in Crete Road, in the economic space of Wetton in Cape City.
The constructing was Formerly the headquarters in the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and it is exactly where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-aged minstrel lifestyle was supposedly operating.
Convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution for theft and fraud after devices paid for with Lottery money was faraway from a Cape City developing.
Stemmet was arrested because of the Specialised Professional Crime Unit on 16 October 2024 and informed to seem from the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket over the working day but the make a difference was not put on the courtroom roll since the investigating officer did not deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom in January.
The criminal charges stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is trying to get to Get well more than R2.five-million in unpaid rent, desire, authorized costs and damage to a rented building in Crete Street, in the economic spot of Wetton in Cape City.
The developing was Earlier the headquarters from the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s centuries-old minstrel tradition was supposedly running.
The premises also housed quite a few companies owned by Stemmet, whom police have described as a medicines substantial flier. Between the companies Stemmet ran through the premises ended up a hat production firm plus a nightclub. Stemmet has become arrested numerous occasions for gun and drug-related offences and served time for armed theft inside the nineteen eighties.
As outlined by an SMS sent to Meuwese via the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket on 30 January 2025.
Though Stemmet is but being offered by using a charge sheet, doable fees, include fraud, removing of apparatus that were connected with the Sheriff, and interfering having a Metropolis of Cape Town energy meter, As outlined by an email despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the matter.
A grant of virtually R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was Component of more than R64-million in Lottery funds allotted to your CTMCA concerning 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - in excess of R54.3-million - compensated while in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 fiscal decades, according to 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 ตา ว จ หวย as two of many directors with the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed like a director in 2021.
Based on Meuwese, the building was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was certainly one of the directors. The corporation was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Property Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting annual reviews.
A whole new entity While using the same name was subsequently registered as a private company, but with Stemmet now not a director, according to CIPC documents. In its place, a loved one, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk ended up appointed as directors.
On the night of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Highway premises had been cleared as well as machinery was taken off, In accordance with an affidavit by Meuwese. The equipment was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent during the Athlone industrial place, which housed numerous of Stemmet’s businesses and also a new “minstrel museum”, In accordance with a leaked investigative report commissioned by the NLC. The investigator also photographed the tools at The brand new premises.
However, the supposed new museum website, such as the outdated a person in Wetton, was perfectly clear of any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and people couldn't accessibility it. There was no signage to the constructing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s organizations vacated the premises earlier this 12 months right after he fell unwell.
The funding to ascertain a museum wasn't the sole lottery grant which the CTMCA been given. In 2021, the association was allocated R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC in the beginning refused to reveal who had been given Covid funding but last but not least relented less than media and parliamentary stress.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-gain entities linked to Stemmet and his relatives and his associates contain R1.4-million for your Cape Cultural Carnival and Functions Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, In line with NLC yearly reviews. Stemmet is really a former director from the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is currently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, that's registered on the CTMCA’s previous Crete Street places of work, 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 once the NLC lifted questions about remarkable reports connected with before funding been given by the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding been given by the CTMCA.
Also under investigation is really 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 former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted as a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a business by 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 just after Letwaba personally advisable which the grant be compensated to his spouse’s organization.
GroundUp sent issues to Stemmet via SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.