“Pot” Stemmet faces rates over theft of Lottery-funded products
“Pot” Stemmet faces rates over theft of Lottery-funded products
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed via the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned by the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution soon after products paid for with resources within the Lottery was removed from a Cape City making he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court docket in January.
In line with a prosecutor the criminal prices could contain fraud, removing of equipment that had been connected by the Sheriff and interfering by using a Metropolis of Cape City electricity meter.
The costs stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a very civil court docket make any difference, is searching for to Recuperate in excess of R2.5-million in unpaid rent, curiosity, legal costs and harm to a rented making in Crete Street, in the commercial region of Wetton in Cape City.
The making was Earlier the headquarters from the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is where by a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-previous minstrel society was supposedly working.
Convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution for theft and fraud just after tools compensated for with Lottery resources was removed from a Cape Town constructing.
Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Commercial Crime Unit on 16 October 2024 and informed to appear 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 court docket roll since the investigating officer did not produce the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court in January.
The prison prices stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's looking for to Get better in excess of R2.5-million in unpaid lease, desire, legal prices and damage to a rented making in Crete Road, in the commercial space of Wetton in Cape Town.
The constructing was Beforehand the headquarters from the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-aged minstrel culture was supposedly operating.
The premises also housed a number of firms owned by Stemmet, whom police have referred to as a medicines superior flier. Amongst the businesses Stemmet ran from your premises have been a hat production corporation and also a nightclub. Stemmet has been arrested a number of times for gun and drug-similar offences and served time for armed theft within the nineteen eighties.
In accordance with an SMS despatched to Meuwese because of the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in courtroom on thirty January 2025.
Though Stemmet is but to generally be offered with a cost sheet, probable fees, include fraud, removal of apparatus that had been connected from the Sheriff, and interfering which has a Town of Cape City electrical power meter, Based on an electronic mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the subject.
A grant of virtually R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was Section of much more than R64-million in Lottery cash allocated towards the CTMCA in between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - above R54.3-million - compensated while in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economic many years, according to Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) annual reports.
Stemmet was appointed a director with the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ตรวจ รางวัล as two of a number of administrators in the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as being a director in 2021.
In line with Meuwese, the creating was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed corporation of which Stemmet was considered one of the administrators. The organization was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Assets Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting annual reviews.
A completely new entity Using the exact same name was subsequently registered as a private company, but with Stemmet no longer a director, Based on CIPC records. Rather, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were appointed as directors.
Over the night of 12 April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Road premises were cleared and also the equipment was eliminated, In accordance with an affidavit by Meuwese. The equipment was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent from the Athlone industrial location, which housed quite a few of Stemmet’s companies and also a new “minstrel museum”, according to a leaked investigative report commissioned from the NLC. The investigator also photographed the products at The brand new premises.
On the other hand, the intended new museum web-site, like the old 1 in Wetton, was effectively far from any of Cape City’s tourist routes and site visitors couldn't entry it. There was no signage to the setting up indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s corporations vacated the premises previously this year just after he fell ill.
The funding to determine a museum was not the sole lottery grant which the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC originally refused to expose who experienced obtained Covid funding but at last relented under media and parliamentary stress.
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 Functions Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, In accordance with NLC annual reviews. Stemmet is really a previous director with the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is presently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, that's registered on the CTMCA’s previous Crete Street offices, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for any “craft, woodwork and style programme”. However, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC lifted questions on exceptional stories related to earlier funding obtained with the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed the SIU is investigating the lottery funding acquired because of the CTMCA.
Also less than investigation is a R1-million payment from the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn paid R500,000 of the to attorneys acting in the acquisition of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted being a conduit for a further R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a corporation through which the wife of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, towards the purchase of your mansion. Zibsimanzi acquired R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo just after Letwaba personally advisable which the grant be compensated to his wife’s organization.
GroundUp despatched issues to Stemmet via SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.