“Pot” Stemmet faces prices around theft of Lottery-funded products
“Pot” Stemmet faces prices around theft of Lottery-funded products
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed with the National Lotteries Commission to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned through the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution following gear compensated for with cash with the 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 legal costs could involve fraud, elimination of kit that had been connected by the Sheriff and interfering that has a Town of Cape Town electrical power meter.
The fees stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in the civil courtroom make any difference, is searching for to Get well about R2.five-million in unpaid lease, curiosity, authorized charges and damage to a rented creating in Crete Road, in the industrial area of Wetton in Cape City.
The setting up was Earlier the headquarters in the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is also exactly where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-old minstrel lifestyle was supposedly operating.
Convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution for theft and fraud just after products compensated for with Lottery money was faraway from a Cape City building.
Stemmet was arrested with the Specialised Professional 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 on the working day but the make a difference was not put on the court docket roll because the investigating officer did not provide the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court in January.
The legal rates stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is seeking to recover above R2.5-million in unpaid rent, interest, lawful fees and damage to a rented constructing in Crete Road, in the commercial space of Wetton in Cape City.
The constructing was Formerly the headquarters from the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s hundreds of years-outdated minstrel society was supposedly operating.
The premises also housed quite a few organizations owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have referred to as a medication large flier. Between the companies Stemmet ran with the premises were being a hat producing organization and also a nightclub. Stemmet has been arrested a number of times for gun and drug-connected offences and served time for armed robbery within the nineteen eighties.
In line with an SMS sent to Meuwese from the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom on 30 January 2025.
Although Stemmet is however to become offered using a charge sheet, possible rates, include things like fraud, elimination of kit that were connected because of the Sheriff, and interfering which has a Metropolis of Cape City energy meter, In keeping with an email sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the issue.
A grant of just about R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was Component of greater than R64-million in Lottery cash allocated for the CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - more than R54.three-million - compensated during the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economical years, In line with Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) once-a-year experiences.
Stemmet was appointed a director with the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing หวย ลาว ออก วัน นี้ สด as two of various directors from the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as being a director in 2021.
Based on Meuwese, the setting up was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was one among the administrators. The corporate was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Residence Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing once-a-year studies.
A fresh entity with the very same title was subsequently registered as A non-public business, but with Stemmet not a director, according to CIPC records. As an alternative, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk have been appointed as administrators.
About the evening of 12 April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Street premises were being cleared plus the machinery was removed, according to an affidavit by Meuwese. The machines was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent in the Athlone industrial spot, which housed numerous of Stemmet’s businesses plus a new “minstrel museum”, In accordance with a leaked investigative report commissioned from the NLC. The investigator also photographed the products at The brand new premises.
Even so, the meant new museum web site, like the previous one in Wetton, was properly faraway from any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and people couldn't accessibility it. There was no signage to the setting up indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s corporations vacated the premises previously this yr right after he fell ill.
The funding to establish a museum wasn't the sole lottery grant that the CTMCA gained. In 2021, the association was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC to begin with refused to reveal who had obtained Covid funding but finally relented less than media and parliamentary strain.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-profit entities linked to Stemmet and his relatives and his associates consist of R1.4-million to the Cape Cultural Carnival and Situations Committee in 2019/twenty, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC once-a-year reports. Stemmet is a previous director of your committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is now a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, which happens to be registered at the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and an additional 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 reports connected with before funding received through the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained by the CTMCA.
Also under investigation is really a R1-million payment through the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn compensated R500,000 of the to legal professionals acting in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted as being a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a firm through which the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in the direction of the acquisition on the mansion. Zibsimanzi obtained R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Event in Limpopo soon after Letwaba Individually advisable which the grant be paid to his wife’s company.
GroundUp sent thoughts to Stemmet by way of SMS but he had not replied by the point of publication.