“Pot” Stemmet faces charges more than theft of Lottery-funded products
“Pot” Stemmet faces charges more than theft of Lottery-funded products
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed from the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Picture from an investigative report commissioned from the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution after products compensated for with funds from your Lottery was removed from a Cape City building he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court docket in January.
In line with a prosecutor the legal expenses could include things like fraud, removing of apparatus that were connected with the Sheriff and interfering that has a City of Cape City energy meter.
The fees stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside a civil court docket subject, is in search of to recover about R2.5-million in unpaid rent, fascination, lawful costs and damage to a rented making in Crete Road, in the industrial region of Wetton in Cape Town.
The developing was previously the headquarters from the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) which is where by a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s hundreds of years-old minstrel culture was supposedly functioning.
Convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud soon after gear paid out for with Lottery funds was faraway from a Cape Town constructing.
Stemmet was arrested with the Specialised Commercial Crime Device on sixteen Oct 2024 and told to seem from the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court within the day although the make a difference was not placed on the court docket roll as the investigating officer didn't produce the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court in January.
The legal prices stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is searching for to Get well around R2.five-million in unpaid lease, curiosity, lawful prices and damage to a rented creating in Crete Road, in the economic spot of Wetton in Cape City.
The constructing was previously the headquarters in the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s centuries-previous minstrel lifestyle was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed a number of corporations owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a medicines significant flier. Among the the companies Stemmet ran in the premises have been a hat producing business as well as a nightclub. Stemmet has become arrested numerous occasions for gun and drug-associated offences and served time for armed theft from the 1980s.
Based on an SMS despatched to Meuwese through the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court on 30 January 2025.
Although Stemmet is nevertheless to be offered with a charge sheet, attainable charges, contain fraud, elimination of apparatus that were connected via the Sheriff, and interfering having a City of Cape Town electrical energy meter, In accordance with an e-mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the make any difference.
A grant of just about R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was Portion of a lot more than R64-million in Lottery funds allotted to your CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - more than R54.three-million - paid out within the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 financial yrs, In line with National Lotteries Fee (NLC) yearly experiences.
Stemmet was appointed a director in the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ผล หวย หุ้น as two of numerous administrators on the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as being a director in 2021.
In keeping with Meuwese, the constructing was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed corporation of which Stemmet was one among the administrators. The company was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual House Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing yearly stories.
A completely new entity Using the exact same name was subsequently registered as A personal enterprise, but with Stemmet now not a director, As outlined by 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 plus the machinery was taken off, Based on an affidavit by Meuwese. The devices was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent inside the Athlone industrial space, which housed a number of of Stemmet’s corporations and a new “minstrel museum”, In line with a leaked investigative report commissioned because of the NLC. The investigator also photographed the machines at The brand new premises.
Having said that, the meant new museum web page, just like the old 1 in Wetton, was nicely from any of Cape Town’s tourist routes and readers could not access it. There was no signage within the building indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s enterprises vacated the premises previously this calendar year immediately after he fell ill.
The funding to ascertain a museum wasn't the sole lottery grant the CTMCA received. In 2021, the association was allocated R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC at first refused to reveal who had gained Covid funding but finally relented below media and parliamentary strain.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-income entities connected to Stemmet and his relatives and his associates involve R1.four-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Gatherings Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, Based on NLC once-a-year stories. Stemmet can be a former director of your committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is currently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, that is registered within the CTMCA’s former Crete Street offices, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/20, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 to get a “craft, woodwork and structure programme”. On the other hand, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC lifted questions about fantastic experiences associated with earlier funding been given because of the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding obtained 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 acquisition of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted as a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a business where the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, toward the purchase from the mansion. Zibsimanzi received R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer Match in Limpopo right after Letwaba Individually encouraged that the grant be compensated to his wife’s firm.
GroundUp sent issues to Stemmet via SMS but he had not replied by the point of publication.