“Pot” Stemmet faces rates over theft of Lottery-funded products
“Pot” Stemmet faces rates over theft of Lottery-funded products
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed with the Nationwide Lotteries Commission to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned because of the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution immediately after equipment compensated for with cash within the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town developing he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court docket in January.
In keeping with a prosecutor the prison prices could include things like fraud, removal of kit that had been hooked up with the Sheriff and interfering having a Town of Cape Town electrical energy meter.
The charges stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a civil courtroom matter, is seeking to Recuperate over R2.five-million in unpaid rent, fascination, authorized prices and harm to a rented creating in Crete Highway, in the industrial place of Wetton in Cape City.
The building was previously the headquarters from the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s centuries-aged minstrel lifestyle was supposedly functioning.
Convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud following tools paid for with Lottery resources was removed from a Cape City building.
Stemmet was arrested with the Specialised Commercial Criminal offense Device on 16 Oct 2024 and informed to seem during the Wynberg Magistrate’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom over the working day however the subject wasn't placed on the court roll since the investigating officer did not provide the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket in January.
The prison charges stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's trying to find to Recuperate more than R2.five-million in unpaid lease, curiosity, lawful prices and harm to a rented creating in Crete Highway, in the economic spot of Wetton in Cape City.
The constructing was Formerly the headquarters with the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s generations-previous minstrel lifestyle was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed numerous businesses owned by Stemmet, whom police have described as a medications significant flier. Among the the businesses Stemmet ran from your premises have been a hat production enterprise and a nightclub. Stemmet continues to be arrested numerous occasions for gun and drug-related offences and served time for armed theft from the 1980s.
Based on an SMS despatched to Meuwese from the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court on thirty January 2025.
Though Stemmet is yet to generally be presented that has a demand sheet, achievable costs, incorporate fraud, removing of kit that were attached with the Sheriff, and interfering which has a Town of Cape City energy meter, Based on an email sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the make a difference.
A grant of almost R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was part of more than R64-million in Lottery resources allocated to the CTMCA concerning 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of the money - about R54.three-million - paid out during the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 monetary several years, As outlined by Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) yearly reviews.
Stemmet was appointed a director from the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing หวย หุ้น as two of numerous directors from the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as a director in 2021.
According to Meuwese, the making was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed corporation of which Stemmet was one among the directors. The corporation was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Assets Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing yearly reports.
A completely new entity Along with the exact same title was subsequently registered as A non-public enterprise, but with Stemmet now not a director, In line with CIPC data. Instead, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were appointed as administrators.
To the night of 12 April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Road premises were cleared and also the equipment was removed, Based on an affidavit by Meuwese. The machines was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent from the Athlone industrial spot, which housed numerous of Stemmet’s companies in addition to a new “minstrel museum”, In line with a leaked investigative report commissioned by the NLC. The investigator also photographed the products at The brand new premises.
Having said that, the supposed new museum web site, much like the outdated one particular in Wetton, was very well far from any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and visitors could not access it. There was no signage within the creating indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s corporations vacated the premises before this calendar year just after he fell sick.
The funding to establish a museum wasn't the one lottery grant the CTMCA gained. In 2021, the association was allocated R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC to begin with refused to reveal who had gained Covid funding but ultimately relented underneath media and parliamentary pressure.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-gain entities linked to Stemmet and his relatives and his associates contain R1.4-million to the Cape Cultural Carnival and Events Committee in 2019/twenty, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, In accordance with NLC yearly stories. Stemmet is often a previous director with the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is at present a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which is registered at 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 a “craft, woodwork and structure programme”. Even so, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC lifted questions about remarkable reviews associated with previously funding been given through the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed the SIU is investigating the lottery funding been given with the CTMCA.
Also less than investigation is really a R1-million payment through the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid R500,000 of this to legal professionals performing in the purchase 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 business during which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, towards the acquisition in the mansion. Zibsimanzi been given R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer Event in Limpopo immediately after Letwaba personally advisable that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s business.
GroundUp sent issues to Stemmet by way of SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.