“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses in excess of theft of Lottery-funded machines
“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses in excess of theft of Lottery-funded machines
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed through the National Lotteries Fee to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned because of the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution after devices compensated for with resources through the Lottery was removed from a Cape Town creating he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court in January.
In line with a prosecutor the felony prices could include fraud, removing of apparatus that were connected by the Sheriff and interfering which has a Metropolis of Cape City electrical power meter.
The fees stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside a civil courtroom matter, is trying to find to recover in excess of R2.five-million in unpaid lease, fascination, authorized charges and harm to a rented making in Crete Highway, in the industrial spot of Wetton in Cape City.
The building was Formerly the headquarters from the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is particularly where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s generations-aged minstrel society was supposedly running.
Convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud soon after products paid for with Lottery resources was faraway from a Cape City creating.
Stemmet was arrested through the Specialised Commercial Criminal offense Unit on sixteen October 2024 and advised to look while in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court around the working day but the subject was not placed on the court docket roll because the investigating officer did not supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court in January.
The criminal fees stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is trying to find to Recuperate around R2.five-million in unpaid hire, desire, authorized expenditures and harm to a rented making in Crete Street, in the commercial spot of Wetton in Cape Town.
The constructing was previously the headquarters of the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-old minstrel society was supposedly running.
The premises also housed a number of companies owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a medicine high flier. Amid the companies Stemmet ran from your premises were a hat production corporation along with a nightclub. Stemmet has long been arrested several times for gun and drug-connected offences and served time for armed theft in the 1980s.
In line with an SMS sent to Meuwese with the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court docket on thirty January 2025.
While Stemmet is nonetheless being presented having a demand sheet, doable prices, incorporate fraud, removal of apparatus that were attached via the Sheriff, and interfering by using a Town of Cape Town electric power meter, In line with an e mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the make a difference.
A grant of almost R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was Section of more than R64-million in Lottery money allocated on the CTMCA concerning 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - more than R54.3-million - compensated while in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 monetary many years, according to Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) annual stories.
Stemmet was appointed a director on the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing หวย ลาว ล่าสุด as two of various directors of your organisation. Stemmet was reappointed being a director in 2021.
In accordance with Meuwese, the developing was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was certainly one of the administrators. The organization was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Assets Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting yearly stories.
A new entity With all the similar identify was subsequently registered as A personal corporation, but with Stemmet now not a director, according to CIPC records. Rather, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were appointed as administrators.
About the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Road premises had been cleared and the equipment was eradicated, As outlined by an affidavit by Meuwese. The machines was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent during the Athlone industrial place, which housed many of Stemmet’s companies in addition to a new “minstrel museum”, As outlined by a leaked investigative report commissioned from the NLC. The investigator also photographed the devices at The brand new premises.
Nonetheless, the intended new museum web page, such as the outdated one in Wetton, was effectively faraway from any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and people couldn't entry it. There was no signage around the developing 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 only lottery grant the CTMCA been given. 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 eventually relented under media and parliamentary strain.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-gain entities linked to Stemmet and his household and his associates include R1.4-million for your Cape Cultural Carnival and Functions Committee in 2019/20, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, In keeping with NLC once-a-year experiences. Stemmet is really a previous director of your committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at present a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, that is registered at the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for just a “craft, woodwork and design and style programme”. However, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC elevated questions on fantastic reports connected to earlier funding acquired by the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding obtained through the CTMCA.
Also below investigation can be a R1-million payment with the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid R500,000 of the to attorneys acting in the acquisition of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted as being a conduit for a further R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a company during which the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in direction of the purchase of your mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer Match in Limpopo following Letwaba Individually suggested the grant be compensated to his wife’s corporation.
GroundUp sent inquiries to Stemmet by using SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.