“Pot” Stemmet faces fees around theft of Lottery-funded gear
“Pot” Stemmet faces fees around theft of Lottery-funded gear
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed from the National Lotteries Fee to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned via the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution immediately after equipment paid out for with resources within the Lottery was removed from a Cape Town creating he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court in January.
In keeping with a prosecutor the prison charges could incorporate fraud, removing of apparatus that had been hooked up by the Sheriff and interfering having a City of Cape City electric power meter.
The costs stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside a civil court docket make any difference, is in search of to recover above R2.five-million in unpaid lease, curiosity, lawful expenditures and damage to a rented building in Crete Road, in the economic area of Wetton in Cape Town.
The building was Formerly the headquarters of the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is particularly where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s hundreds of years-previous minstrel lifestyle was supposedly running.
Convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution for theft and fraud right after machines compensated for with Lottery funds was faraway from a Cape City constructing.
Stemmet was arrested from the Specialised Professional Crime Unit on 16 October 2024 and instructed to look within the Wynberg Magistrate’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket around the day nevertheless the subject wasn't put on the courtroom roll because the investigating officer did not provide the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court in January.
The prison charges stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is looking for to Get better about R2.5-million in unpaid hire, fascination, legal prices and damage to a rented building in Crete Street, in the industrial place of Wetton in Cape City.
The creating was Beforehand the headquarters from the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-old minstrel tradition was supposedly running.
The premises also housed quite a few companies owned by Stemmet, whom police have referred to as a medicine high flier. Amongst the businesses Stemmet ran through the premises have been a hat production organization and also a nightclub. Stemmet has been arrested a number of occasions for gun and drug-connected offences and served time for armed theft inside the eighties.
In line with an SMS sent to Meuwese because of the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court on thirty January 2025.
Though Stemmet is however to generally be presented that has a demand sheet, achievable rates, include things like fraud, removing of kit that were hooked up from the Sheriff, and interfering by using a Metropolis of Cape City energy meter, Based on an e-mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the subject.
A grant of virtually R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was part of greater than R64-million in Lottery resources allocated to the CTMCA involving 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - above R54.three-million - paid during the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 fiscal many years, As outlined by National Lotteries Commission (NLC) yearly stories.
Stemmet was appointed a director of the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued สลาก กิน as two of numerous administrators in the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed to be a director in 2021.
In line with Meuwese, the building was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth corporation of which Stemmet was amongst the directors. The company was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual House Commission (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 company, but with Stemmet no longer a director, according to CIPC documents. In its place, a loved one, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk have been appointed as directors.
On the night of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Road premises ended up cleared along with the equipment was taken out, Based on an affidavit by Meuwese. The machines was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent while in the Athlone industrial area, which housed many of Stemmet’s businesses plus a new “minstrel museum”, according to a leaked investigative report commissioned from the NLC. The investigator also photographed the devices at The brand new premises.
However, the supposed new museum website, such as the aged one in Wetton, was nicely away from any of Cape City’s tourist routes and site visitors couldn't obtain it. There was no signage to the constructing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s organizations vacated the premises before this yr following he fell unwell.
The funding to ascertain a museum wasn't the only lottery grant the CTMCA been given. In 2021, the association was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC initially refused to reveal who had acquired Covid funding but finally relented beneath media and parliamentary force.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-profit entities linked to Stemmet and his relatives and his associates include R1.4-million to the Cape Cultural Carnival and Gatherings Committee in 2019/twenty, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, In line with NLC yearly stories. Stemmet is usually a previous director on the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is currently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, and that is registered on the CTMCA’s previous Crete Street offices, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 for the “craft, woodwork and style programme”. Nevertheless, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC lifted questions about exceptional experiences linked to previously funding acquired via the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding been given by 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 this to lawyers performing 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, an organization in which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, to the purchase of the mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.8-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo following Letwaba Individually proposed that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s company.
GroundUp sent inquiries to Stemmet by using SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.