“Pot” Stemmet faces charges about theft of Lottery-funded gear
“Pot” Stemmet faces charges about theft of Lottery-funded gear
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed through the National Lotteries Commission to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned via the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution soon after machines compensated for with resources in the Lottery was removed from a Cape City constructing he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court docket in January.
According to a prosecutor the prison costs could consist of fraud, removing of apparatus that were connected with the Sheriff and interfering having a Town of Cape Town energy meter.
The costs stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, within a civil court docket make a difference, is looking for to Get well more than R2.5-million in unpaid hire, interest, lawful expenses and damage to a rented setting up in Crete Road, in the industrial location of Wetton in Cape Town.
The constructing was previously the headquarters in the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is exactly where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s generations-outdated minstrel society was supposedly running.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud following devices paid for with Lottery money was faraway from a Cape City building.
Stemmet was arrested through the Specialised Business Criminal offense Device on sixteen Oct 2024 and explained to to look in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket on the working day but the matter wasn't put on the court roll as the investigating officer didn't provide the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom in January.
The criminal charges stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is in search of to recover about R2.5-million in unpaid lease, interest, authorized costs and damage to a rented building in Crete Street, in the economic region of Wetton in Cape Town.
The making was Beforehand the headquarters in the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-aged minstrel society was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed several companies owned by Stemmet, whom police have described as a medication large flier. Amongst the companies Stemmet ran within the premises were being a hat production firm as well as a nightclub. Stemmet is arrested several periods for gun and drug-relevant offences and served time for armed theft while in the 1980s.
In keeping with an SMS sent to Meuwese because of the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in courtroom on thirty January 2025.
Whilst Stemmet is but to generally be introduced having a cost sheet, doable rates, contain fraud, elimination of equipment that had been attached from the Sheriff, and interfering using a City of Cape City energy meter, according to an electronic mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the matter.
A grant of just about R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was A part of more than R64-million in Lottery cash allocated into the CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - around R54.3-million - paid out in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 fiscal years, In line with Countrywide Lotteries Fee (NLC) annual studies.
Stemmet was appointed a director with the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ตรวจ หวย ลาว as two of quite a few directors with the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed like a director in 2021.
In keeping with Meuwese, the creating was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was one of the directors. The business was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Residence Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing yearly studies.
A different entity While using the very same title was subsequently registered as A non-public corporation, but with Stemmet no more a director, As outlined by CIPC documents. In its place, a relative, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk have been appointed as directors.
Over the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Road premises have been cleared plus the machinery was removed, In accordance with an affidavit by Meuwese. The gear was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent in the Athlone industrial place, which housed many of Stemmet’s organizations as well as a new “minstrel museum”, Based on a leaked investigative report commissioned because of the NLC. The investigator also photographed the equipment at The brand new premises.
Nonetheless, the supposed new museum web site, similar to the outdated a person in Wetton, was perfectly away from any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and site visitors couldn't accessibility it. There was no signage around the developing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s companies vacated the premises before this yr following he fell unwell.
The funding to establish a museum wasn't the only real lottery grant the CTMCA received. 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 had been given Covid funding but at last relented less than media and parliamentary stress.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-income entities associated with Stemmet and his family members and his associates include things like R1.four-million with the Cape Cultural Carnival and Events Committee in 2019/twenty, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC once-a-year stories. Stemmet is often a former director from the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at the moment a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which is registered for the CTMCA’s former Crete Street offices, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for your “craft, woodwork and design and style programme”. Nevertheless, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC raised questions about superb reviews connected to earlier funding acquired because of the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding obtained because of the CTMCA.
Also less than investigation is a R1-million payment through 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 being a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a business during which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, towards the purchase of the mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo 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.