“Pot” Stemmet faces fees around theft of Lottery-funded tools
“Pot” Stemmet faces fees around theft of Lottery-funded tools
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed via the Countrywide Lotteries Commission to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned because of the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution immediately after devices paid out for with resources from your Lottery was faraway from a Cape City constructing he rented.
Stemmet is to look in court in January.
In line with a prosecutor the legal expenses could incorporate fraud, removal of kit that had been hooked up through the Sheriff and interfering using a City of Cape Town energy meter.
The costs stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a very civil courtroom matter, is trying to find to recover about R2.5-million in unpaid lease, fascination, authorized expenditures and harm to a rented building in Crete Road, in the industrial spot of Wetton in Cape Town.
The constructing was Beforehand the headquarters on the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and it is wherever a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-outdated minstrel society was supposedly functioning.
Convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud soon after products paid for with Lottery funds was faraway from a Cape Town setting up.
Stemmet was arrested because of the Specialised Commercial Crime Device on sixteen October 2024 and instructed to appear in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court on the day but the subject wasn't put on the court roll since the investigating officer didn't produce the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court in January.
The felony costs stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's in search of to recover in excess of R2.five-million in unpaid lease, fascination, lawful costs and harm to a rented building in Crete Highway, in the commercial spot of Wetton in Cape Town.
The setting up was Beforehand the headquarters with the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s centuries-previous minstrel culture was supposedly working.
The premises also housed several businesses owned by Stemmet, whom police have called a medicines significant flier. Among the businesses Stemmet ran with the premises were being a hat producing organization and also a nightclub. Stemmet has been arrested numerous instances for gun and drug-connected offences and served time for armed theft during the eighties.
In line with an SMS sent 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 which has a charge sheet, doable expenses, include fraud, elimination of kit that were attached because of the Sheriff, and interfering with a City of Cape Town electrical energy meter, In keeping with an electronic mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the make any difference.
A grant of just about R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was Component of in excess of R64-million in Lottery cash allocated towards the CTMCA in between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - over R54.three-million - paid within the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 money a long time, according to Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) once-a-year reviews.
Stemmet was appointed a director on the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued ผล สลากกินแบ่ง as two of various administrators on the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed being a director in 2021.
In line with Meuwese, the developing was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed corporation of which Stemmet was amongst the directors. The corporate was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual House Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting yearly experiences.
A fresh entity While using the identical title was subsequently registered as A non-public company, but with Stemmet not a director, In accordance with CIPC records. In its place, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk have been appointed as directors.
Around the night of twelve April 2021 and into the next morning, the Crete Street premises ended up 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 from the Athlone industrial spot, which housed numerous of Stemmet’s businesses and also a new “minstrel museum”, In accordance with a leaked investigative report commissioned by the NLC. The investigator also photographed the products at The brand new premises.
Nevertheless, the intended new museum web page, just like the previous a person in Wetton, was nicely from any of Cape Town’s tourist routes and site visitors could not obtain it. There was no signage within the creating 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 sole lottery grant the CTMCA received. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC in the beginning refused to reveal who experienced been given Covid funding but last but not least relented under media and parliamentary force.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-revenue entities connected to Stemmet and his family and his associates incorporate R1.four-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Events Committee in 2019/twenty, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, In accordance with NLC yearly studies. Stemmet is often a previous director with the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at present a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which is registered for the CTMCA’s former Crete Highway workplaces, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 for any “craft, woodwork and style programme”. However, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC lifted questions about remarkable reports connected with before funding received through the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding received through the CTMCA.
Also beneath investigation is often a R1-million payment via the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently 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 as a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a company in which the spouse of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in the direction of the purchase with the mansion. Zibsimanzi acquired R4.8-million to stage a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo after Letwaba personally recommended the grant be compensated to his wife’s corporation.
GroundUp sent inquiries to Stemmet via SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.