“Pot” Stemmet faces costs more than theft of Lottery-funded devices
“Pot” Stemmet faces costs more than theft of Lottery-funded devices
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed via the National Lotteries Commission to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned through the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution just after machines paid out for with money in the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town building he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court in January.
In keeping with a prosecutor the legal charges could include things like fraud, removal of apparatus that were hooked up through the Sheriff and interfering which has a City of Cape Town electric power meter.
The fees stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a civil court issue, is trying to find to Get well about R2.five-million in unpaid lease, curiosity, legal fees and damage to a rented building in Crete Highway, in the commercial location of Wetton in Cape Town.
The building was Beforehand the headquarters on the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and it is exactly where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s centuries-outdated minstrel culture was supposedly running.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud after products compensated for with Lottery funds was removed from a Cape Town making.
Stemmet was arrested by the Specialised Industrial Crime Unit on 16 October 2024 and informed to seem while in the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom about the day nevertheless the issue was not put on the courtroom 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 a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is seeking to Get well above R2.five-million in unpaid rent, fascination, legal charges and harm to a rented constructing in Crete Highway, in the industrial spot of Wetton in Cape City.
The developing was Earlier the headquarters of your Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-previous minstrel lifestyle was supposedly running.
The premises also housed quite a few businesses owned by Stemmet, whom police have called a drugs high flier. Among the companies Stemmet ran within the premises were being a hat production organization along with a nightclub. Stemmet continues to be arrested several periods for gun and drug-connected offences and served time for armed theft while in the nineteen eighties.
As outlined by an SMS sent to Meuwese with the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court on 30 January 2025.
Whilst Stemmet is but being presented having a cost sheet, doable charges, consist of fraud, removal of equipment that had been attached 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 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 resources 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 money many 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 spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing หวย รัฐบาล as two of quite a few directors in the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as a director in 2021.
As outlined by Meuwese, the building was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth corporation of which Stemmet was amongst the administrators. The organization was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual House Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing yearly studies.
A whole new entity While using the exact title was subsequently registered as A non-public organization, but with Stemmet not a director, Based on CIPC documents. In its place, a loved one, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as administrators.
About the night of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Street premises were cleared plus the machinery was taken out, Based on an affidavit by Meuwese. The devices was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent within the Athlone industrial spot, which housed quite a few of Stemmet’s companies as well as a new “minstrel museum”, As outlined by a leaked investigative report commissioned via the NLC. The investigator also photographed the equipment at The brand new premises.
However, the meant new museum web page, such as outdated one particular in Wetton, was properly far from any of Cape City’s tourist routes and guests couldn't accessibility it. There was no signage on the setting up indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s firms vacated the premises earlier this yr after he fell sick.
The funding to determine a museum wasn't the sole lottery grant the CTMCA been given. In 2021, the association 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 ultimately relented beneath media and parliamentary force.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-financial gain entities associated with Stemmet and his spouse and children and his associates include R1.four-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Gatherings Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC once-a-year studies. Stemmet is actually a previous director with the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is now a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which is registered for the CTMCA’s former Crete Street places of work, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for just a “craft, woodwork and design and style programme”. Having said that, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC elevated questions about remarkable experiences associated with earlier funding obtained with the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding obtained from the CTMCA.
Also below investigation is really a R1-million payment from the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently paid out R500,000 of this to legal professionals acting in the acquisition of the R27-million mansion for former 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 gained R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo after Letwaba personally advisable which the grant be paid to his wife’s organization.
GroundUp despatched thoughts to Stemmet via SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.