“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, left, and an investigator appointed with the National Lotteries Commission to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Picture from an investigative report commissioned from the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution just after gear paid for with resources from the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town developing he rented.
Stemmet is to look in courtroom in January.
In accordance with a prosecutor the criminal rates could involve fraud, removal of kit that had been connected by the Sheriff and interfering by using a Town of Cape City electric power meter.
The fees stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in the civil courtroom make any difference, is searching for to Recuperate in excess of R2.five-million in unpaid lease, curiosity, authorized charges and damage to a rented constructing in Crete Street, in the industrial region of Wetton in Cape City.
The setting up was Beforehand the headquarters with the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) which is the place a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-previous minstrel society was supposedly working.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud after devices paid for with Lottery money was faraway from a Cape City developing.
Stemmet was arrested with the Specialised Professional Criminal offense Device on sixteen Oct 2024 and informed to appear while in the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom about the working day although the make any difference wasn't placed on the court roll because the investigating officer didn't supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court in January.
The criminal charges stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is trying to get to Get well in excess of R2.5-million in unpaid lease, interest, authorized charges and damage to a rented building in Crete Street, in the industrial place of Wetton in Cape Town.
The setting up was Formerly the headquarters of the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-old minstrel society was supposedly working.
The premises also housed a number of businesses owned by Stemmet, whom police have called a medicines higher flier. Between the businesses Stemmet ran with the premises had been a hat producing firm along with a nightclub. Stemmet has actually been arrested several moments for gun and drug-connected offences and served time for armed robbery from the nineteen eighties.
Based on an SMS sent to Meuwese with the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court on thirty January 2025.
Whilst Stemmet is yet for being offered having a demand sheet, probable prices, include things like fraud, removal of apparatus that had been attached by the Sheriff, and interfering with a Metropolis of Cape City energy meter, In keeping with an email sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the make a difference.
A grant of virtually R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was Element of greater than R64-million in Lottery cash allotted on the CTMCA involving 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - in excess of R54.3-million - paid inside the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 monetary years, In accordance with National Lotteries Fee (NLC) annual reports.
Stemmet was appointed a director of the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued หวย ลาว วัน นี้ as two of quite a few directors from the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed to be a director in 2021.
According to Meuwese, the making was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was one of the administrators. The organization was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Home Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing once-a-year reports.
A whole new entity with the identical name was subsequently registered as a private firm, but with Stemmet no more a director, In keeping with CIPC data. Instead, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were appointed as administrators.
To the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the next early morning, the Crete Street premises had been cleared and also the equipment was taken out, Based on an affidavit by Meuwese. The equipment was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent from the Athlone industrial location, which housed several of Stemmet’s enterprises as well as a new “minstrel museum”, according to a leaked investigative report commissioned through the NLC. The investigator also photographed the devices at The brand new premises.
Nonetheless, the intended new museum web-site, just like the previous a single in Wetton, was effectively from any of Cape Town’s tourist routes and guests couldn't access it. There was no signage on the developing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s companies vacated the premises before this 12 months right after he fell ill.
The funding to determine a museum wasn't the one lottery grant that the CTMCA gained. In 2021, the association was allotted R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC to begin with refused to expose who had acquired Covid funding but lastly relented less than media and parliamentary pressure.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-income entities associated with Stemmet and his family members and his associates incorporate R1.4-million to the Cape Cultural Carnival and Gatherings Committee in 2019/twenty, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, As outlined by NLC once-a-year stories. Stemmet is often a previous director on the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at this time a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which is registered within the CTMCA’s former Crete Highway places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for your “craft, woodwork and style and design programme”. Even so, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC elevated questions on exceptional stories associated with previously funding gained by the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding obtained because of the CTMCA.
Also less than investigation is really a R1-million payment with the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid out R500,000 of this to lawyers performing in the purchase of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted to be a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a business through which the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in direction of the purchase with the mansion. Zibsimanzi acquired R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Event in Limpopo soon after Letwaba Individually advised which the grant be paid to his wife’s corporation.
GroundUp sent queries to Stemmet by using SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.