“Pot” Stemmet faces prices over theft of Lottery-funded products
“Pot” Stemmet faces prices over theft of Lottery-funded products
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed by the Countrywide Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned because of the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution just after machines compensated for with resources from the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town developing he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in courtroom in January.
As outlined by a prosecutor the felony prices could include things like fraud, removal of apparatus that were attached via the Sheriff and interfering by using a City of Cape Town electric power meter.
The charges stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a civil court issue, is searching for to Get well about R2.five-million in unpaid hire, desire, lawful prices and harm to a rented making in Crete Highway, in the economic place of Wetton in Cape City.
The constructing was Formerly the headquarters in the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is particularly wherever a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s generations-previous minstrel society was supposedly running.
Convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution for theft and fraud immediately after products compensated for with Lottery cash was removed from a Cape Town building.
Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Business Criminal offense Unit on 16 October 2024 and advised to look in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom on the day nevertheless the subject was not placed on the court roll since the investigating officer did not deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom in January.
The legal expenses stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is in search of to Recuperate over R2.five-million in unpaid rent, desire, legal prices and damage to a rented building in Crete Street, in the industrial place of Wetton in Cape City.
The setting up was Formerly the headquarters with the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-old minstrel tradition was supposedly working.
The premises also housed various businesses owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have described as a medications substantial flier. Between the businesses Stemmet ran through the premises have been a hat manufacturing organization along with a nightclub. Stemmet continues to be arrested a number of times for gun and drug-similar offences and served time for armed robbery inside the nineteen eighties.
In keeping with an SMS sent to Meuwese via the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in courtroom on thirty January 2025.
Though Stemmet is nonetheless for being introduced with a charge sheet, attainable rates, consist of fraud, elimination of apparatus that had been attached through the Sheriff, and interfering by using a Metropolis of Cape Town electrical power meter, In line with an e-mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the subject.
A grant of virtually R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was part of more than R64-million in Lottery cash allocated to your CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - over R54.3-million - paid during the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 fiscal many years, according to Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) yearly experiences.
Stemmet was appointed a director in the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ตรวจ สลากกินแบ่ง รัฐบาล as two of quite a few directors of the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed for a director in 2021.
In line with Meuwese, the building 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 Property Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting annual reviews.
A whole new entity While using the same identify was subsequently registered as A personal enterprise, but with Stemmet no more a director, As outlined by CIPC data. As a substitute, a loved one, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as directors.
To the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Road premises ended up cleared as well as the equipment was eliminated, according to an affidavit by Meuwese. The products was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent in the Athlone industrial spot, which housed several of Stemmet’s firms and a new “minstrel museum”, In accordance with a leaked investigative report commissioned because of the NLC. The investigator also photographed the machines at The brand new premises.
However, the meant new museum web page, like the aged a person in Wetton, was perfectly faraway from any of Cape Town’s tourist routes and readers couldn't access it. There was no signage over the setting up indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s firms vacated the premises earlier this 12 months following he fell sick.
The funding to establish a museum was not the one lottery grant that the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC to begin with refused to expose who experienced received Covid funding but ultimately relented underneath media and parliamentary tension.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-profit entities linked to Stemmet and his family members and his associates contain R1.4-million for your Cape Cultural Carnival and Activities Committee in 2019/20, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC once-a-year studies. Stemmet is actually a former director with the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is currently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, which can be registered at the CTMCA’s former Crete Highway offices, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for your “craft, woodwork and style programme”. Having said that, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC elevated questions on outstanding reviews relevant to before funding been given by the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding been given by the CTMCA.
Also under investigation is really a R1-million payment from the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn compensated R500,000 of this to lawyers performing in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted as being a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a firm through which the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, towards the acquisition from the mansion. Zibsimanzi been given R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer Event in Limpopo soon after Letwaba Individually advised which the grant be paid to his wife’s corporation.
GroundUp despatched concerns to Stemmet through SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.