“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses in excess of theft of Lottery-funded equipment
“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses in excess of theft of Lottery-funded equipment
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed with the National Lotteries Commission to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Picture from an investigative report commissioned via the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution soon after gear compensated for with money from the Lottery was removed from a Cape City developing he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in courtroom in January.
According to a prosecutor the legal costs could include things like fraud, removal of apparatus that were attached through the Sheriff and interfering with a City of Cape City electrical power meter.
The charges stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside a civil courtroom make a difference, is in search of to recover around R2.five-million in unpaid rent, interest, legal charges and harm to a rented developing in Crete Street, in the industrial spot of Wetton in Cape Town.
The constructing was Beforehand the headquarters of your Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) which is wherever a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s centuries-outdated minstrel tradition was supposedly operating.
Convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud soon after equipment paid out for with Lottery cash was faraway from a Cape City developing.
Stemmet was arrested because of the Specialised Commercial Crime Unit on 16 October 2024 and advised to seem from the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket over the working day though the matter wasn't put on the court roll because the investigating officer didn't supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket in January.
The felony expenses stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is seeking to Get better above R2.five-million in unpaid rent, desire, legal prices and damage to a rented setting up in Crete Road, in the commercial area of Wetton in Cape Town.
The setting up was previously the headquarters in the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-aged minstrel culture was supposedly operating.
The premises also housed many corporations owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a prescription drugs high flier. Among the businesses Stemmet ran from the premises were a hat producing enterprise in addition to a nightclub. Stemmet has actually been arrested various instances for gun and drug-associated offences and served time for armed theft inside the nineteen eighties.
In keeping with an SMS sent to Meuwese via the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in courtroom on thirty January 2025.
Even though Stemmet is still to become offered which has a demand sheet, feasible fees, involve fraud, removal of equipment that had been hooked up by the Sheriff, and interfering having a City of Cape City energy meter, according to an electronic mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the issue.
A grant of almost R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was Component of in excess of R64-million in Lottery money allotted for the CTMCA in between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - in excess of R54.three-million - paid during the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 fiscal years, As outlined by Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) annual studies.
Stemmet was appointed a director of your CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued หวย หุ้น ช่อง 9 วัน นี้ as two of numerous administrators in the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as a director in 2021.
As outlined by Meuwese, the developing was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was one of the directors. The business was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Assets Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing once-a-year experiences.
A new entity With all the very same title was subsequently registered as a private business, but with Stemmet no longer a director, Based on CIPC documents. In its place, a loved one, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk have been appointed as directors.
To the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the following morning, the Crete Highway premises had been cleared and the machinery was taken off, In accordance with an affidavit by Meuwese. The machines was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent inside the Athlone industrial space, which housed a number of of Stemmet’s firms and a new “minstrel museum”, In accordance with a leaked investigative report commissioned with the NLC. The investigator also photographed the machines at The brand new premises.
Having said that, the meant new museum web page, such as aged just one in Wetton, was very well faraway from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and people could not obtain it. There was no signage to the making indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s organizations vacated the premises before this yr after he fell sick.
The funding to determine a museum was not the sole lottery grant which the CTMCA received. In 2021, the association was allocated R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC initially refused to reveal who had gained Covid funding but at last relented below media and parliamentary strain.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-income entities connected to Stemmet and his relatives and his associates involve R1.four-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Situations Committee in 2019/twenty, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, Based on NLC annual experiences. Stemmet is often a former director of the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at present a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, that's registered in the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road workplaces, was allotted 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 appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC elevated questions on superb reports connected with previously funding gained via the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding been given 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 the to legal professionals acting in the acquisition of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted for a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a company wherein the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in the direction of the acquisition from the mansion. Zibsimanzi been given R4.8-million to stage a rural soccer Event in Limpopo right after Letwaba Individually recommended that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s company.
GroundUp sent queries to Stemmet by means of SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.