“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, left, and an investigator appointed via the National Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Picture from an investigative report commissioned from the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution just after tools compensated for with cash from your Lottery was removed from a Cape City building he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court in January.
According to a prosecutor the criminal prices could consist of fraud, removal of kit that were attached from the Sheriff and interfering using a Metropolis of Cape Town electric power meter.
The costs stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in the civil court make any difference, is looking for to recover in excess of R2.5-million in unpaid hire, curiosity, lawful expenditures and harm to a rented creating in Crete Highway, in the commercial region of Wetton in Cape Town.
The setting up was Earlier the headquarters of the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is also where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s hundreds of years-previous minstrel tradition was supposedly working.
Convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud soon after devices paid out for with Lottery money was removed from a Cape City making.
Stemmet was arrested because of the Specialised Business Crime Unit on 16 Oct 2024 and explained to to seem inside the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket to the working day nevertheless the make any difference was not placed on the court docket roll as the investigating officer didn't produce the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court in January.
The criminal charges stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is trying to get to Get better over R2.five-million in unpaid lease, curiosity, legal costs and harm to a rented making in Crete Road, in the industrial area of Wetton in Cape City.
The making was Formerly the headquarters from the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-old minstrel lifestyle was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed a number of firms owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have referred to as a prescription drugs large flier. Amid the companies Stemmet ran within the premises had been a hat production enterprise along with a nightclub. Stemmet has long been arrested a number of occasions for gun and drug-connected offences and served time for armed theft in the nineteen eighties.
In keeping with an SMS sent to Meuwese from the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in courtroom on 30 January 2025.
While Stemmet is nevertheless to get presented that has a charge sheet, doable expenses, involve fraud, removal of apparatus that had been attached via the Sheriff, and interfering using a City of Cape Town energy meter, As outlined by an electronic mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the make a difference.
A grant of virtually R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was Component of more than R64-million in Lottery resources allotted for the CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - in excess of R54.3-million - compensated while in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 monetary many years, according to Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) annual reviews.
Stemmet was appointed a director in the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued หวย รัฐบาล as two of many directors on the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as a director in 2021.
In keeping with Meuwese, the making was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was one of the directors. The organization was deregistered by the businesses and Intellectual House Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting yearly stories.
A fresh entity While using the identical title was subsequently registered as A personal organization, but with Stemmet no more a director, In accordance with CIPC documents. As an alternative, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk ended up appointed as administrators.
To the night of twelve April 2021 and into the next morning, the Crete Road premises ended up cleared plus the machinery was taken out, In line with an affidavit by Meuwese. The tools was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent within the Athlone industrial space, which housed various of Stemmet’s firms as well as a new “minstrel museum”, Based on a leaked investigative report commissioned via the NLC. The investigator also photographed the tools at The brand new premises.
On the other hand, the meant new museum web site, such as old a single in Wetton, was effectively away from any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and visitors couldn't accessibility 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 establish a museum wasn't the sole lottery grant which the CTMCA obtained. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC initially refused to reveal who experienced been given Covid funding but at last relented below media and parliamentary tension.
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 Activities Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, As outlined by NLC once-a-year studies. Stemmet is often a previous director on the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is currently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, which happens to be registered within the CTMCA’s former Crete Highway places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for your “craft, woodwork and layout programme”. Nonetheless, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC elevated questions on fantastic reviews relevant to earlier funding obtained because of the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding acquired from the CTMCA.
Also beneath investigation is often a R1-million payment by the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently compensated R500,000 of the to attorneys acting in the purchase of the 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 through which the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, toward the purchase of the mansion. Zibsimanzi received R4.eight-million to phase a rural soccer Match in Limpopo right after Letwaba Individually advisable that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s business.
GroundUp despatched concerns to Stemmet by way of SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.