“Pot” Stemmet faces fees about theft of Lottery-funded gear
“Pot” Stemmet faces fees about theft of Lottery-funded gear
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed by the Countrywide Lotteries Commission to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned from the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution just after devices paid out for with funds in the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town building he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court docket in January.
In keeping with a prosecutor the legal charges could involve fraud, removal of apparatus that were hooked up through the Sheriff and interfering which has a City of Cape Town electrical power meter.
The fees stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside a civil court issue, is trying to get to Get better over R2.5-million in unpaid hire, curiosity, legal costs and harm to a rented creating in Crete Highway, in the economic space of Wetton in Cape City.
The making was Beforehand the headquarters on the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and it is wherever a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-previous minstrel tradition was supposedly functioning.
Convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud immediately after products paid for with Lottery funds was removed from a Cape City creating.
Stemmet was arrested by the Specialised Business Criminal offense Device on sixteen October 2024 and informed to look in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom on the day nevertheless the make any difference was not put on the court roll because the investigating officer didn't deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court in January.
The prison rates stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is looking for to Recuperate in excess of R2.5-million in unpaid lease, fascination, authorized fees and damage to a rented constructing in Crete Street, in the economic region of Wetton in Cape City.
The making was Formerly the headquarters of the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-old minstrel society was supposedly operating.
The premises also housed quite a few enterprises owned by Stemmet, whom police have referred to as a drugs substantial flier. Among the businesses Stemmet ran within the premises had been a hat manufacturing organization and also a nightclub. Stemmet has been arrested a number of moments for gun and drug-related offences and served time for armed robbery from the nineteen eighties.
As outlined by an SMS despatched to Meuwese through the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court on thirty January 2025.
Whilst Stemmet is however for being presented which has a charge sheet, probable fees, consist of fraud, elimination of kit that had been attached via the Sheriff, and interfering using a Town of Cape City electricity meter, In line with an e mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the issue.
A grant of almost R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was A part of over R64-million in Lottery funds allotted for the CTMCA between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - about R54.3-million - compensated while in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economic many years, In keeping with National Lotteries Fee (NLC) once-a-year reports.
Stemmet was appointed a director with the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ผล หวย ลาว วัน นี้ as two of various directors of your organisation. Stemmet was reappointed like a director in 2021.
According to Meuwese, the constructing was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed Company of which Stemmet was certainly one of the directors. The corporate was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Assets Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting once-a-year reports.
A brand new entity With all the very same name was subsequently registered as a private company, but with Stemmet now not a director, In keeping with CIPC data. As an alternative, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were appointed as administrators.
Around the night of 12 April 2021 and into the next early morning, the Crete Street premises were being cleared plus the machinery was taken out, 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 quite a few of Stemmet’s companies plus a new “minstrel museum”, In keeping with a leaked investigative report commissioned by the NLC. The investigator also photographed the gear at the new premises.
Nevertheless, the supposed new museum site, like the aged a person in Wetton, was very well faraway from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and website visitors could not obtain it. There was no signage about the developing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s businesses vacated the premises previously this calendar year soon after he fell unwell.
The funding to establish a museum wasn't the only real lottery grant that the CTMCA gained. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC to begin with refused to expose who experienced received Covid funding but last but not least relented less than media and parliamentary pressure.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-revenue entities linked to Stemmet and his loved ones and his associates incorporate R1.4-million to the Cape Cultural Carnival and Activities Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, In keeping with NLC yearly studies. Stemmet is actually a previous 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 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 about remarkable experiences linked to previously funding acquired because of the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified the SIU is investigating the lottery funding acquired with the CTMCA.
Also underneath investigation is often a R1-million payment because of the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid R500,000 of the to attorneys acting in the acquisition of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted for a conduit for a further R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a company wherein the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in direction of the acquisition in the mansion. Zibsimanzi been given R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer Event in Limpopo right after Letwaba Individually recommended the grant be paid out to his spouse’s company.
GroundUp sent inquiries to Stemmet by using SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.