“Pot” Stemmet faces fees in excess of theft of Lottery-funded equipment
“Pot” Stemmet faces fees in excess of theft of Lottery-funded equipment
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed because of the National Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned by the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution just after machines compensated for with money from your Lottery was removed from a Cape City creating he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in courtroom in January.
In line with a prosecutor the criminal rates could include things like fraud, removal of apparatus that were attached with the Sheriff and interfering with a Metropolis of Cape Town energy meter.
The fees stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside a civil courtroom subject, is seeking to recover more than R2.5-million in unpaid hire, desire, authorized charges and damage to a rented creating in Crete Road, in the economic space of Wetton in Cape Town.
The developing was previously the headquarters with the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is in which a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-old minstrel tradition was supposedly running.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud after machines compensated for with Lottery funds was faraway from a Cape Town building.
Stemmet was arrested from the Specialised Professional Crime Unit on sixteen Oct 2024 and informed to appear within the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket around the day though the issue was not placed on the courtroom roll because the investigating officer did not provide the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket in January.
The felony prices stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's looking for to Get better about R2.5-million in unpaid hire, fascination, legal costs and harm to a rented creating in Crete Highway, in the economic spot of Wetton in Cape Town.
The setting up was Formerly the headquarters of your Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-aged minstrel culture was supposedly working.
The premises also housed several organizations owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a medicines substantial flier. Between the companies Stemmet ran in the premises ended up a hat manufacturing firm and a nightclub. Stemmet has become arrested quite a few times for gun and drug-associated offences and served time for armed theft in the nineteen eighties.
Based on an SMS despatched to Meuwese from the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in courtroom on thirty January 2025.
Although Stemmet is yet to be offered with a cost sheet, feasible prices, incorporate fraud, removing of equipment that had been attached via the Sheriff, and interfering which has a City of Cape City electrical power meter, according to an email sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the make a difference.
A grant of almost R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was Element of more than R64-million in Lottery resources allotted into the CTMCA concerning 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - about R54.3-million - paid out within the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economical a long time, Based on Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) once-a-year studies.
Stemmet was appointed a director of the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ผล หวย ลาว วัน นี้ as two of a number of administrators from the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed to be a director in 2021.
As outlined by Meuwese, the developing was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was one of the directors. The business was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Residence Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing yearly stories.
A completely new entity Using the exact same name was subsequently registered as A personal enterprise, but with Stemmet now not a director, As outlined by CIPC data. Alternatively, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were being appointed as administrators.
Around the night of 12 April 2021 and into the next early morning, the Crete Road premises ended up cleared as well as the equipment was eliminated, In keeping with an affidavit by Meuwese. The tools was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent during the Athlone industrial region, which housed many of Stemmet’s enterprises along with a new “minstrel museum”, In line with a leaked investigative report commissioned via the NLC. The investigator also photographed the machines at The brand new premises.
Having said that, the meant new museum web-site, such as outdated one particular in Wetton, was properly far from any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and site visitors couldn't entry it. There was no signage within the building indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s enterprises vacated the premises previously this calendar year right after he fell unwell.
The funding to establish a museum was not the one lottery grant that the CTMCA obtained. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC at first refused to reveal 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, Based on NLC once-a-year stories. Stemmet can be a former director of your committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is currently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, that 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”. Nevertheless, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC lifted questions on outstanding reviews relevant to before funding been given via the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained because of 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 like a conduit for a further R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a firm during which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, to the purchase of your mansion. Zibsimanzi obtained R4.eight-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo immediately after Letwaba Individually advised the grant be compensated to his spouse’s business.
GroundUp sent issues to Stemmet by using SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.