“Pot” Stemmet faces rates above theft of Lottery-funded machines
“Pot” Stemmet faces rates above theft of Lottery-funded machines
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed by the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned by the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution after products compensated for with money from the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town building he rented.
Stemmet is to look in court in January.
In accordance with a prosecutor the felony charges could incorporate fraud, elimination of equipment that had been hooked up via the Sheriff and interfering with a Metropolis of Cape Town electrical energy meter.
The fees stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside of a civil courtroom subject, is trying to find to Recuperate more than R2.five-million in unpaid hire, interest, lawful expenditures and harm to a rented setting up in Crete Street, in the economic location of Wetton in Cape City.
The developing was Formerly the headquarters on the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and it is the place a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-aged minstrel society was supposedly running.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud after products paid for with Lottery money was faraway from a Cape Town creating.
Stemmet was arrested through the Specialised Industrial Criminal offense Unit on sixteen October 2024 and told to look within the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court around the working day though the subject was not put on the court roll as the investigating officer didn't provide the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court in January.
The criminal fees stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is trying to find to recover in excess of R2.five-million in unpaid lease, desire, authorized expenses and damage to a rented making in Crete Road, in the industrial space of Wetton in Cape City.
The building was previously the headquarters from the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-outdated minstrel lifestyle was supposedly working.
The premises also housed quite a few enterprises owned by Stemmet, whom police have described as a medications higher flier. Among the the businesses Stemmet ran from your premises were being a hat manufacturing organization as well as a nightclub. Stemmet continues to be arrested many situations for gun and drug-linked offences and served time for armed theft within the 1980s.
As outlined by an SMS despatched to Meuwese by the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket on thirty January 2025.
Even though Stemmet is nonetheless to generally be introduced that has a cost sheet, attainable expenses, contain fraud, removal of apparatus that had been connected from the Sheriff, and interfering which has a City of Cape Town energy meter, As outlined by an email sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the make a difference.
A grant of virtually R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was Section of more than R64-million in Lottery cash allotted towards the CTMCA involving 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - more than R54.three-million - compensated during the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 fiscal several years, In line with Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) annual experiences.
Stemmet was appointed a director on the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ผล หวย หุ้น as two of various administrators from the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as a director in 2021.
According to Meuwese, the setting up was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was among the administrators. The organization was deregistered by the businesses and Intellectual House Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting annual experiences.
A brand new entity Along with the same identify was subsequently registered as a private organization, but with Stemmet not a director, In line with CIPC information. Alternatively, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as administrators.
To the evening of 12 April 2021 and into the next morning, the Crete Highway premises have been cleared as well as the equipment was taken out, In accordance with an affidavit by Meuwese. The equipment was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent from the Athlone industrial region, which housed several of Stemmet’s corporations as well as a new “minstrel museum”, In keeping with a leaked investigative report commissioned from the NLC. The investigator also photographed the machines at The brand new premises.
Nevertheless, the supposed new museum website, much like the outdated just one in Wetton, was perfectly clear of any of Cape City’s tourist routes and guests couldn't entry it. There was no signage to the making indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s businesses vacated the premises before this yr after he fell sick.
The funding to determine a museum was not the one lottery grant that the CTMCA gained. In 2021, the association was allocated R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC originally refused to expose who experienced obtained Covid funding but at last relented below media and parliamentary force.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-earnings entities connected to Stemmet and his spouse and children and his associates consist of R1.4-million for the Cape Cultural Carnival and Activities Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, In accordance with NLC annual reports. Stemmet is a previous director on the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is now a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, that is registered at the CTMCA’s former Crete Highway workplaces, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for just a “craft, woodwork and layout programme”. However, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC elevated questions on exceptional stories related to earlier funding obtained with the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified the SIU is investigating the lottery funding acquired with the CTMCA.
Also underneath investigation is often a R1-million payment because of the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid R500,000 of the to attorneys acting 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 your mansion. Zibsimanzi acquired R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo just after Letwaba personally encouraged which the grant be paid to his wife’s corporation.
GroundUp despatched concerns to Stemmet by means of SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.