“Pot” Stemmet faces prices around theft of Lottery-funded tools
“Pot” Stemmet faces prices around theft of Lottery-funded tools
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed because of the National Lotteries Commission to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned via the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution right after devices compensated for with resources from your Lottery was removed from a Cape Town developing he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court docket in January.
Based on a prosecutor the criminal charges could consist of fraud, removing of apparatus that had been hooked up because of the Sheriff and interfering using a City of Cape Town electrical energy meter.
The fees stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a civil court subject, is searching for to Get better more than R2.5-million in unpaid hire, desire, lawful expenses and damage to a rented constructing in Crete Highway, in the commercial space of Wetton in Cape City.
The making was Earlier the headquarters in the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and it is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s centuries-aged minstrel tradition was supposedly functioning.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud after devices paid for with Lottery cash was faraway from a Cape City creating.
Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Industrial Crime Unit on 16 October 2024 and instructed to look within the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court within the day even so the subject was not 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 costs 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, curiosity, lawful charges and damage to a rented making in Crete Road, in the commercial area of Wetton in Cape Town.
The setting up was Formerly the headquarters with the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-aged minstrel culture 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 from the premises were being a hat producing corporation in addition to a nightclub. Stemmet has long been arrested various moments for gun and drug-connected offences and served time for armed theft from the eighties.
In accordance with 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 that has a charge sheet, achievable prices, include fraud, removal of equipment that had been attached from the Sheriff, and interfering using a Metropolis of Cape Town electrical energy meter, In line with an e mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the make any difference.
A grant of virtually R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was Portion of greater than R64-million in Lottery resources allocated to the CTMCA involving 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - in excess of R54.three-million - paid out during the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 financial many years, Based on Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) yearly reports.
Stemmet was appointed a director on the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued ตรวจ ล้อ ต เต อ รี่ as two of many directors with the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as being a director in 2021.
Based on Meuwese, the making was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed corporation of which Stemmet was one among the administrators. The organization was deregistered by the Companies and Mental Assets Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting annual reviews.
A whole new entity While using the exact same name was subsequently registered as A personal business, but with Stemmet no longer a director, according to CIPC documents. In its place, a relative, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk ended up appointed as directors.
On the night of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Highway premises ended up cleared along with the machinery was taken out, Based on an affidavit by Meuwese. The machines was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent inside the Athlone industrial place, which housed a number of of Stemmet’s corporations along with a new “minstrel museum”, In line with a leaked investigative report commissioned by the NLC. The investigator also photographed the tools at the new premises.
On the other hand, the intended new museum web-site, like the aged one in Wetton, was nicely away from any of Cape City’s tourist routes and site visitors could not obtain it. There was no signage over the setting up indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s corporations vacated the premises earlier this calendar year immediately after he fell ill.
The funding to determine a museum was not the only real lottery grant that the CTMCA gained. In 2021, the association was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC at first refused to reveal who experienced been given Covid funding but ultimately relented underneath media and parliamentary pressure.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-earnings entities connected to Stemmet and his spouse and children and his associates include R1.4-million for the Cape Cultural Carnival and Occasions Committee in 2019/20, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC once-a-year experiences. Stemmet is often a previous director in the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is at this time a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, that is registered for the CTMCA’s former Crete Street places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for your “craft, woodwork and design and style programme”. However, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC lifted questions on excellent studies connected to earlier funding obtained with the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified the SIU is investigating the lottery funding acquired because of the CTMCA.
Also less than investigation is usually a R1-million payment via the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently paid out R500,000 of this to legal professionals performing in the purchase of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted being a conduit for a further R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a company in which the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in direction of the acquisition on the mansion. Zibsimanzi obtained R4.eight-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo immediately after Letwaba personally encouraged that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s firm.
GroundUp despatched questions to Stemmet through SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.