“Pot” Stemmet faces fees in excess of theft of Lottery-funded equipment
“Pot” Stemmet faces fees in excess of theft of Lottery-funded equipment
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed because of the Countrywide Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned by the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution immediately after devices paid out for with funds from the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town setting up he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court docket in January.
As outlined by a prosecutor the legal rates could incorporate fraud, removal of equipment that were hooked up from the Sheriff and interfering that has a Town of Cape Town electrical power meter.
The costs stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a civil court make a difference, is in search of to Get well around R2.five-million in unpaid lease, curiosity, legal expenses and damage to a rented setting up in Crete Highway, in the commercial location of Wetton in Cape Town.
The building was Beforehand the headquarters on the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and it is exactly where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s centuries-outdated minstrel culture was supposedly running.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 following devices compensated for with Lottery funds was removed from a Cape City setting up.
Stemmet was arrested from the Specialised Industrial Crime Unit on 16 October 2024 and advised to seem during the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket over the working day although the make any difference wasn't placed on the court roll as the investigating officer didn't deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom in January.
The criminal charges stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's trying to find to Recuperate around R2.5-million in unpaid hire, curiosity, lawful expenses and harm to a rented developing in Crete Street, in the economic location of Wetton in Cape City.
The building was Formerly the headquarters with the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s centuries-previous minstrel tradition was supposedly working.
The premises also housed various enterprises owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a prescription drugs high flier. Among the the companies Stemmet ran with the premises ended up a hat production organization as well as a nightclub. Stemmet is arrested several situations for gun and drug-relevant offences and served time for armed theft while in the 1980s.
As outlined by an SMS sent to Meuwese because of the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court on thirty January 2025.
Although Stemmet is but to generally be presented using a cost sheet, probable charges, contain fraud, elimination of apparatus that had been attached through the Sheriff, and interfering using a Metropolis of Cape Town electrical energy meter, In line with an email sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the subject.
A grant of just about R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was Portion of much more than R64-million in Lottery funds allocated for the CTMCA between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of The cash - in excess of R54.three-million - paid within the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economical several years, In line with National Lotteries Commission (NLC) once-a-year studies.
Stemmet was appointed a director of the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued ตรวจ สลาก as two of a number of administrators on the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed being a director in 2021.
In line with Meuwese, the building was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was certainly one of the administrators. The company was deregistered by the Companies and Mental Property Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing once-a-year reviews.
A completely new entity With all the similar identify was subsequently registered as A non-public organization, but with Stemmet not a director, In line with CIPC information. Alternatively, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as administrators.
About the evening of 12 April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Road premises ended up cleared along with the machinery was taken off, In line with an affidavit by Meuwese. The gear was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent during the Athlone industrial spot, which housed a number of of Stemmet’s enterprises as well as a new “minstrel museum”, according to a leaked investigative report commissioned with the NLC. The investigator also photographed the machines at the new premises.
Even so, the intended new museum web-site, such as aged a person in Wetton, was well away from any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and website visitors could not obtain it. There was no signage over the constructing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s corporations vacated the premises earlier this calendar year soon after he fell ill.
The funding to ascertain a museum wasn't the only lottery grant which the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC initially refused to reveal who experienced obtained Covid funding but finally relented less than media and parliamentary force.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-revenue entities linked to Stemmet and his relatives and his associates include R1.four-million with the Cape Cultural Carnival and Occasions Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, Based on NLC annual reports. Stemmet is really a previous director of your committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is at present a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which is registered for the CTMCA’s former Crete Street offices, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for a “craft, woodwork and style and design programme”. Nonetheless, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC lifted questions about exceptional stories related to earlier funding obtained with the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified the SIU is investigating the lottery funding acquired with the CTMCA.
Also underneath investigation is often a R1-million payment because of the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid R500,000 of the to attorneys acting in the acquisition of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted for 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 direction of the acquisition in the mansion. Zibsimanzi received R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer Event in Limpopo soon after Letwaba Individually advised the grant be compensated to his spouse’s business.
GroundUp sent issues to Stemmet via SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.