“Pot” Stemmet faces fees over theft of Lottery-funded products
“Pot” Stemmet faces fees over theft of Lottery-funded products
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed via the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned with the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution after gear paid out for with money through the Lottery was removed from a Cape Town building he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in courtroom in January.
According to a prosecutor the felony expenses could contain fraud, removing of apparatus that were attached because of the Sheriff and interfering using a Town of Cape City electrical power meter.
The charges stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in the civil court docket matter, is trying to find to recover above R2.five-million in unpaid hire, desire, lawful costs and harm to a rented building in Crete Highway, in the economic place of Wetton in Cape Town.
The creating was Formerly the headquarters in the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is also in which a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-previous minstrel society was supposedly running.
Convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution for theft and fraud soon after gear paid out for with Lottery resources was removed from a Cape Town making.
Stemmet was arrested from the Specialised Business Criminal offense Device on 16 October 2024 and informed to seem during the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket on the day nevertheless the issue was not placed on the court roll as the investigating officer didn't supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court in January.
The prison prices stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's trying to find to Recuperate more than R2.five-million in unpaid lease, desire, authorized costs and harm to a rented developing in Crete Street, in the industrial place of Wetton in Cape Town.
The constructing was Beforehand the headquarters in the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-outdated minstrel society was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed numerous corporations owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a drugs higher flier. Amongst the businesses Stemmet ran from your premises had been a hat manufacturing business along with a nightclub. Stemmet continues to be arrested several situations for gun and drug-similar offences and served time for armed robbery in the nineteen eighties.
In line with an SMS sent to Meuwese because of 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 cost sheet, doable charges, incorporate fraud, elimination of kit that were connected because of the Sheriff, and interfering with a City of Cape City electricity meter, Based on an email despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the subject.
A grant of virtually R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was A part of greater than R64-million in Lottery resources allocated to the CTMCA concerning 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - above R54.three-million - paid out in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 money many years, In keeping with National 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 สลาก กิน รัฐบาล as two of many directors with the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as being a director in 2021.
In keeping with Meuwese, the creating was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed Company of which Stemmet was certainly one of the directors. The corporation was deregistered by the businesses and Intellectual Home Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing yearly studies.
A different 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 an alternative, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were appointed as administrators.
About the night of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Highway premises have been cleared and the machinery was eradicated, In line with an affidavit by Meuwese. The equipment was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent while in the Athlone industrial area, which housed numerous of Stemmet’s enterprises along with a new “minstrel museum”, As outlined by a leaked investigative report commissioned via the NLC. The investigator also photographed the equipment at the new premises.
Nevertheless, the supposed new museum website, such as the old 1 in Wetton, was nicely away from any of Cape City’s tourist routes and guests couldn't accessibility it. There was no signage within the building indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s enterprises vacated the premises previously this calendar year soon after he fell unwell.
The funding to ascertain a museum wasn't the only lottery grant the CTMCA gained. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC initially refused to reveal who had acquired Covid funding but eventually relented less than media and parliamentary pressure.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-revenue 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 a further R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC once-a-year stories. Stemmet can be a former director of your committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is presently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, that's registered in the CTMCA’s previous Crete Highway workplaces, was allotted 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 superb reports linked to previously funding acquired because of the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained via the CTMCA.
Also less than investigation is usually a R1-million payment via the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently paid out R500,000 of this to legal professionals acting in the acquisition 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, an organization in which the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in direction of the acquisition on the mansion. Zibsimanzi received R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer Event in Limpopo soon after Letwaba Individually advised the grant be compensated to his spouse’s business.
GroundUp sent issues to Stemmet via SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.