“Pot” Stemmet faces costs more than theft of Lottery-funded devices
“Pot” Stemmet faces costs more than theft of Lottery-funded devices
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed with the Nationwide Lotteries Commission to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned via the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution immediately after devices paid out for with funds in the Lottery was removed from a Cape City creating he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in courtroom in January.
As outlined by a prosecutor the legal charges could involve fraud, elimination of kit that were attached via the Sheriff and interfering using a Town of Cape City electrical energy meter.
The costs stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside a civil court subject, is seeking to recover more than R2.5-million in unpaid rent, interest, lawful costs and harm to a rented setting up in Crete Highway, in the economic spot of Wetton in Cape Town.
The developing was previously the headquarters of your Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is particularly wherever a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-outdated minstrel tradition was supposedly operating.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution for theft and fraud soon after gear compensated for with Lottery cash was removed from a Cape City creating.
Stemmet was arrested from the Specialised Professional Crime Unit on 16 Oct 2024 and advised to look from the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom around the working day even so the matter wasn't put on the court docket roll because the investigating officer didn't deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court in January.
The legal rates stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's seeking to recover more than R2.five-million in unpaid lease, interest, lawful expenditures and harm to a rented building in Crete Street, in the industrial area of Wetton in Cape City.
The constructing was previously the headquarters of the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-previous minstrel society was supposedly working.
The premises also housed a number of enterprises owned by Stemmet, whom police have referred to as a medicines superior flier. Amid the companies Stemmet ran within the premises have been a hat producing business and a nightclub. Stemmet has become arrested many periods for gun and drug-similar offences and served time for armed theft while in the eighties.
In accordance with an SMS sent to Meuwese via the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court docket on thirty January 2025.
Despite the fact that Stemmet is however to generally be presented by using a demand sheet, possible expenses, involve fraud, removing of equipment that had been hooked up by the Sheriff, and interfering using a City of Cape Town electrical energy meter, In accordance with an e-mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the make any difference.
A grant of just about R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was Portion of over R64-million in Lottery funds allotted for the CTMCA between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - around R54.3-million - compensated while in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 financial yrs, In accordance with Countrywide Lotteries Fee (NLC) annual studies.
Stemmet was appointed a director of your CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued หวย as two of various directors with the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed like a director in 2021.
According to Meuwese, the making was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed corporation of which Stemmet was considered one of the administrators. The business was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Assets Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing once-a-year experiences.
A new entity With all the identical name was subsequently registered as a private company, but with Stemmet now not a director, In keeping with CIPC documents. As a substitute, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as administrators.
About the night of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Highway premises had been cleared as well as machinery was eradicated, In accordance with an affidavit by Meuwese. The machines was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent inside the Athlone industrial place, which housed several of Stemmet’s firms in addition to a new “minstrel museum”, according to a leaked investigative report commissioned through the NLC. The investigator also photographed the products at the new premises.
Even so, the intended new museum web site, such as the old one in Wetton, was well clear of any of Cape Town’s tourist routes and readers could not access it. There was no signage to the constructing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s businesses vacated the premises previously this calendar year right after he fell unwell.
The funding to establish a museum was not the one lottery grant which the CTMCA obtained. In 2021, the association was allotted R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC at first refused to reveal who had acquired Covid funding but at last relented under media and parliamentary stress.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-earnings entities connected to Stemmet and his household and his associates include things like R1.four-million to the Cape Cultural Carnival and Functions Committee in 2019/20, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC yearly reviews. Stemmet is really a previous director on the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at this time a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which happens to be registered with the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road workplaces, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for a “craft, woodwork and layout programme”. However, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC elevated questions on superb reports linked to previously funding obtained with the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding obtained through the CTMCA.
Also below investigation is actually a R1-million payment from the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn compensated R500,000 of this to legal professionals performing in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted to be a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a company wherein the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in the direction of the acquisition of the mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo just after Letwaba personally advisable which the grant be paid to his wife’s organization.
GroundUp despatched thoughts to Stemmet via SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.