“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, remaining, and an investigator appointed through the Countrywide Lotteries Commission to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned through the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution after equipment compensated for with money from your Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town developing he rented.
Stemmet is to look in court in January.
In accordance with a prosecutor the prison fees could contain fraud, elimination of equipment that had been connected by the Sheriff and interfering by using a Town of Cape Town electrical power meter.
The costs stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a civil court make a difference, is trying to find to Get better over R2.five-million in unpaid hire, fascination, authorized expenditures and damage to a rented creating in Crete Road, in the economic space of Wetton in Cape Town.
The creating was previously the headquarters of your Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) which is the place a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-old minstrel society was supposedly operating.
Convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution for theft and fraud just after tools compensated for with Lottery resources was removed from a Cape Town constructing.
Stemmet was arrested by the Specialised Commercial Crime Unit on 16 October 2024 and advised to seem from the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket to the working day though the make any difference wasn't placed on the court roll as the investigating officer didn't provide the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket in January.
The felony expenses stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is seeking to Get well above R2.five-million in unpaid rent, desire, legal expenditures and damage to a rented making in Crete Road, in the commercial area of Wetton in Cape Town.
The making was previously the headquarters in the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s centuries-old minstrel tradition was supposedly working.
The premises also housed many enterprises owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a prescription drugs high flier. Among the companies Stemmet ran within the premises were being a hat production organization as well as a nightclub. Stemmet is arrested a number of times for gun and drug-linked offences and served time for armed robbery during the eighties.
Based on an SMS despatched to Meuwese by the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court docket on thirty January 2025.
Though Stemmet is nonetheless for being offered which has a charge sheet, achievable fees, include fraud, removal of equipment that were hooked up by the Sheriff, and interfering having a City of Cape City energy meter, according to an electronic mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the matter.
A grant of just about R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was Portion of over R64-million in Lottery resources allocated to the CTMCA involving 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of the money - over R54.3-million - compensated inside the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economical a long time, In keeping with 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 ตรวจ หวย รัฐบาล as two of a number of administrators from 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 organization was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Residence 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 private company, but with Stemmet no longer a director, Based on CIPC information. As an alternative, a family member, 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 out, Based on an affidavit by Meuwese. The devices was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent in the Athlone industrial spot, which housed quite a few of Stemmet’s companies plus a new “minstrel museum”, In keeping with a leaked investigative report commissioned by the NLC. The investigator also photographed the gear at the new premises.
Nevertheless, the supposed new museum site, like the aged a person in Wetton, was perfectly faraway from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and people could not entry it. There was no signage about the developing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s businesses vacated the premises previously this calendar year soon after he fell unwell.
The funding to establish a museum wasn't the only real lottery grant that the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC originally refused to expose who experienced 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, according to NLC once-a-year stories. Stemmet can be a former director with the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is now a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which is registered within the CTMCA’s former Crete Street places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/20, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 to get a “craft, woodwork and style and design programme”. Nonetheless, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC lifted questions on outstanding reviews connected with previously funding gained via the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained because of the CTMCA.
Also underneath investigation is often a R1-million payment with the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid R500,000 of the to attorneys performing 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 business by which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, toward the purchase on the mansion. Zibsimanzi received R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer Event in Limpopo right after Letwaba Individually recommended that the grant be paid out to his wife’s corporation.
GroundUp despatched concerns to Stemmet through SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.