“Pot” Stemmet faces costs above theft of Lottery-funded machines
“Pot” Stemmet faces costs above theft of Lottery-funded machines
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed by the National Lotteries Fee to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned with the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution following products compensated for with funds with the Lottery was removed from a Cape City developing he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court in January.
In keeping with a prosecutor the criminal costs could involve fraud, removal of kit that were connected from the Sheriff and interfering using a City of Cape City electrical power meter.
The costs stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside of a civil court docket subject, is trying to get to Recuperate more than R2.five-million in unpaid rent, desire, authorized charges and damage to a rented setting up in Crete Street, in the economic place of Wetton in Cape City.
The developing was Beforehand the headquarters from the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is also where by a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-outdated minstrel lifestyle was supposedly functioning.
Convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution for theft and fraud just after machines paid out for with Lottery money was faraway from a Cape Town developing.
Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Business Criminal offense Unit on sixteen Oct 2024 and advised to look from the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom over the day although the matter was not placed on the court roll since the investigating officer did not deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court in January.
The legal rates stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is seeking to Recuperate in excess of R2.5-million in unpaid lease, fascination, authorized expenditures and harm to a rented setting up in Crete Street, in the commercial spot of Wetton in Cape Town.
The creating was Formerly the headquarters in the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s centuries-outdated minstrel culture was supposedly working.
The premises also housed a number of companies owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a medications higher flier. Between the companies Stemmet ran from your premises ended up a hat producing business and also a nightclub. Stemmet has been arrested a number of occasions for gun and drug-connected offences and served time for armed robbery in the nineteen eighties.
In accordance with an SMS despatched to Meuwese because of the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket on 30 January 2025.
Even though Stemmet is nonetheless being presented that has a charge sheet, attainable costs, include fraud, elimination of kit that had been connected with the Sheriff, and interfering which has a City of Cape Town electrical power meter, according to an e-mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the make a difference.
A grant of almost R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was A part of a lot more than R64-million in Lottery resources allocated for the CTMCA among 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - more than R54.three-million - paid out from the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 fiscal several years, In line with National Lotteries Commission (NLC) once-a-year studies.
Stemmet was appointed a director of your CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing หวย รัฐบาล as two of numerous administrators of your organisation. Stemmet was reappointed to be a director in 2021.
In keeping with Meuwese, the making was leased to Stalph 164, a close Company of which Stemmet was certainly one of the administrators. The company was deregistered by the Companies and Mental Property Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing once-a-year reports.
A whole new entity with the identical title was subsequently registered as A non-public enterprise, but with Stemmet now not a director, In accordance with CIPC information. As a substitute, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk have been appointed as directors.
About the night of 12 April 2021 and into the next morning, the Crete Road premises were cleared as well as the equipment was taken off, In line with an affidavit by Meuwese. The gear was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent in the Athlone industrial spot, which housed several of Stemmet’s corporations along with a new “minstrel museum”, In keeping with a leaked investigative report commissioned from the NLC. The investigator also photographed the tools at The brand new premises.
Having said that, the meant new museum site, such as the previous one particular in Wetton, was very well faraway from any of Cape Town’s tourist routes and visitors couldn't entry it. There was no signage about the setting up indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s corporations vacated the premises earlier this calendar year just after he fell sick.
The funding to determine a museum wasn't the sole lottery grant which the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC originally refused to expose who experienced obtained Covid funding but at last relented below media and parliamentary strain.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-gain entities linked to Stemmet and his loved ones and his associates involve R1.four-million with the Cape Cultural Carnival and Events Committee in 2019/twenty, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, In keeping with NLC once-a-year stories. Stemmet is a previous director with the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at present a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which is registered for the CTMCA’s former Crete Road workplaces, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 for the “craft, woodwork and style programme”. On the other hand, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC lifted questions about fantastic experiences linked to previously funding gained by the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding received through the CTMCA.
Also underneath investigation is a R1-million payment through the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn paid R500,000 of this to legal professionals performing in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted being a conduit for a further R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a corporation wherein the wife of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, to the purchase of your mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Event in Limpopo soon after Letwaba Individually advised which the grant be compensated to his wife’s corporation.
GroundUp sent queries to Stemmet by means of SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.