“Pot” Stemmet faces fees about theft of Lottery-funded tools
“Pot” Stemmet faces fees about theft of Lottery-funded tools
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed from the Countrywide Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned with the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution immediately after equipment compensated for with money from your Lottery was removed from a Cape City making he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court docket in January.
In keeping with a prosecutor the felony costs could consist of fraud, removing of equipment that were hooked up with the Sheriff and interfering by using a City of Cape Town electrical energy meter.
The fees stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, within a civil courtroom matter, is looking for to recover around R2.5-million in unpaid hire, interest, legal expenditures and harm to a rented developing in Crete Road, in the industrial area of Wetton in Cape Town.
The making was Beforehand the headquarters of your Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-old minstrel lifestyle was supposedly working.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud following devices paid for with Lottery resources was removed from a Cape Town making.
Stemmet was arrested by the Specialised Industrial Crime Unit on 16 October 2024 and explained to to appear during the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket on the day nevertheless the subject wasn't placed on the court docket roll as the investigating officer didn't produce the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom in January.
The legal prices stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is looking for to recover over R2.5-million in unpaid rent, fascination, legal prices and damage to a rented building in Crete Street, in the industrial space of Wetton in Cape Town.
The setting up 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-previous minstrel lifestyle was supposedly running.
The premises also housed a number of organizations owned by Stemmet, whom police have referred to as a medicine superior flier. Among the companies Stemmet ran from your premises ended up a hat producing enterprise as well as a nightclub. Stemmet has long been arrested quite a few situations for gun and drug-similar offences and served time for armed theft in the nineteen eighties.
In keeping with an SMS sent to Meuwese from the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court docket on 30 January 2025.
Whilst Stemmet is nevertheless to become offered which has a charge sheet, attainable charges, contain fraud, elimination of apparatus that were hooked up via the Sheriff, and interfering with a City of Cape City electricity meter, In line with an e mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the matter.
A grant of just about R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was Portion of greater than R64-million in Lottery funds allotted towards the CTMCA concerning 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - above R54.three-million - paid from the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economic years, As outlined by National Lotteries Commission (NLC) annual studies.
Stemmet was appointed a director of your CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued หวย รัฐบาล as two of several administrators in the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed to be a director in 2021.
As outlined by Meuwese, the building was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was amongst the directors. The business was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Residence Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing yearly stories.
A completely new entity Using the identical name was subsequently registered as A personal enterprise, but with Stemmet now not a director, In keeping with CIPC data. Alternatively, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were appointed as administrators.
Within the night of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Street premises were cleared as well as machinery was taken off, In accordance with an affidavit by Meuwese. The machines was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent while in the Athlone industrial space, which housed a number of of Stemmet’s corporations and a new “minstrel museum”, In accordance with a leaked investigative report commissioned because of the NLC. The investigator also photographed the equipment at the new premises.
Nonetheless, the intended new museum internet site, similar to the outdated just one in Wetton, was very well from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and people could not obtain it. There was no signage over the making indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s firms vacated the premises earlier this 12 months right after he fell unwell.
The funding to establish a museum wasn't the only real lottery grant that the CTMCA gained. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC to begin with refused to expose who experienced received Covid funding but last but not least relented underneath media and parliamentary tension.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-profit entities linked to Stemmet and his loved ones and his associates incorporate R1.4-million for your Cape Cultural Carnival and Activities Committee in 2019/20, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, In keeping with NLC once-a-year studies. Stemmet is actually a previous director on the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is now a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, that is registered within the CTMCA’s former Crete Street places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 for any “craft, woodwork and structure programme”. Nonetheless, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC raised questions about remarkable reviews relevant to before funding obtained with the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained via the CTMCA.
Also under investigation is really a R1-million payment from the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn compensated 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 during which the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in direction of the purchase of your mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo just after Letwaba personally recommended the grant be compensated to his wife’s firm.
GroundUp despatched queries to Stemmet by using SMS but he experienced not replied by the time of publication.