“Pot” Stemmet faces fees more than theft of Lottery-funded devices
“Pot” Stemmet faces fees more than theft of Lottery-funded devices
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed via the Countrywide Lotteries Commission to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned by the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution after products paid for with funds with the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town creating he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court in January.
As outlined by a prosecutor the criminal expenses could include fraud, removal of kit that had been attached by the Sheriff and interfering which has a Metropolis of Cape City electric power meter.
The charges stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside of a civil courtroom make a difference, is trying to find to Get well over R2.5-million in unpaid lease, fascination, legal expenditures and harm to a rented creating in Crete Highway, in the commercial space of Wetton in Cape City.
The creating was Earlier the headquarters of your Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is also where by a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-previous minstrel tradition was supposedly working.
Convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud after machines paid out for with Lottery resources was removed from a Cape City developing.
Stemmet was arrested by the Specialised Business Crime Unit on sixteen Oct 2024 and advised to look within the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket within the working day but the issue wasn't put on the court docket roll since the investigating officer didn't produce the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom in January.
The felony rates stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's searching for to Get well in excess of R2.5-million in unpaid hire, curiosity, legal prices and damage to a rented developing in Crete Highway, in the economic place of Wetton in Cape Town.
The developing was Beforehand the headquarters in the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-aged minstrel tradition was supposedly running.
The premises also housed several organizations owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have referred to as a medicine high flier. Amongst the businesses Stemmet ran with the premises were a hat manufacturing corporation and a nightclub. Stemmet has actually been arrested several occasions for gun and drug-connected offences and served time for armed robbery inside the 1980s.
Based on an SMS sent to Meuwese via the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court on thirty January 2025.
While Stemmet is still for being introduced having a cost sheet, possible prices, contain fraud, removing of equipment that had been hooked up because of the Sheriff, and interfering having a Metropolis of Cape City electrical power meter, according to an e-mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the issue.
A grant of just about R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was part of a lot more than R64-million in Lottery cash allocated on the CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - in excess of R54.three-million - paid out within the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economical yrs, In line with National Lotteries Fee (NLC) annual stories.
Stemmet was appointed a director from the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing สลาก กิน รัฐบาล as two of several administrators on the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as being a director in 2021.
Based on Meuwese, the setting up was leased to Stalph 164, a close Company of which Stemmet was considered one of the directors. The corporate was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Residence Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing once-a-year studies.
A new entity Together with the exact name was subsequently registered as a private organization, but with Stemmet now not a director, according to CIPC documents. Instead, a relative, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were appointed as directors.
On the night of 12 April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Street premises had been cleared and also the equipment was eliminated, according to an affidavit by Meuwese. The devices was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent from the Athlone industrial location, which housed several of Stemmet’s corporations and a new “minstrel museum”, As outlined by a leaked investigative report commissioned from the NLC. The investigator also photographed the machines at The brand new premises.
Nonetheless, the intended new museum internet site, just like the previous a person in Wetton, was well away from any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and website visitors could not access it. There was no signage around the developing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s companies vacated the premises before this yr right after he fell unwell.
The funding to ascertain a museum wasn't the sole lottery grant that the CTMCA gained. In 2021, the association was allotted R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC in the beginning refused to reveal who experienced obtained Covid funding but finally relented beneath media and parliamentary tension.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-earnings entities connected to Stemmet and his spouse and children and his associates contain R1.4-million to the Cape Cultural Carnival and Situations Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, Based on NLC annual reports. Stemmet is really a former director in the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at this time a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, that is registered in the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road workplaces, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 to get a “craft, woodwork and style and design programme”. Nonetheless, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC raised questions about outstanding studies associated with previously funding been given through the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained via the CTMCA.
Also under investigation can be a R1-million payment with the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid R500,000 of the to legal professionals acting in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted like a conduit for a further R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, an organization during which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, to the purchase from the mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.eight-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 thoughts to Stemmet via SMS but he experienced not replied by the time of publication.