“Pot” Stemmet faces fees about theft of Lottery-funded gear
“Pot” Stemmet faces fees about theft of Lottery-funded gear
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed with the National Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned with the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution following products compensated for with cash in the Lottery was removed from a Cape City building he rented.
Stemmet is to look in courtroom in January.
In keeping with a prosecutor the felony prices could include things like fraud, removal of kit that had been attached by the Sheriff and interfering using a City of Cape Town electrical energy meter.
The charges stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a very civil courtroom matter, is looking for to Get well around R2.5-million in unpaid rent, fascination, lawful expenses and harm to a rented developing in Crete Road, in the industrial spot of Wetton in Cape Town.
The constructing was Earlier the headquarters of your Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and it is in which a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-outdated minstrel tradition was supposedly operating.
Convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud following equipment paid out for with Lottery funds was removed from a Cape City constructing.
Stemmet was arrested from the Specialised Business Criminal offense Device on 16 October 2024 and explained to to appear during the Wynberg Magistrate’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom around the day even so the make any difference wasn't put on the court docket roll as the investigating officer didn't produce the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court docket in January.
The prison costs stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is trying to find to Get better around R2.five-million in unpaid hire, desire, lawful expenditures and damage to a rented creating in Crete Road, in the economic location of Wetton in Cape City.
The constructing was previously the headquarters with the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-old minstrel lifestyle was supposedly operating.
The premises also housed several enterprises owned by Stemmet, whom police have described as a drugs high flier. Among the the companies Stemmet ran from the premises had been a hat manufacturing company plus a nightclub. Stemmet has actually been arrested quite a few times for gun and drug-connected offences and served time for armed robbery within the 1980s.
In accordance with an SMS sent to Meuwese by the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in courtroom on 30 January 2025.
Whilst Stemmet is but to be offered having a demand sheet, attainable charges, include things like fraud, removal of apparatus that were attached by the Sheriff, and interfering by using a City of Cape Town energy meter, according to an e-mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the make a difference.
A grant of just about R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was Element of more than R64-million in Lottery funds allotted into the CTMCA in between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of The cash - about R54.three-million - paid within the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 financial years, according to Countrywide Lotteries Fee (NLC) annual reviews.
Stemmet was appointed a director of the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing หวย ไทยรัฐ as two of numerous administrators with the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed like a director in 2021.
In line with Meuwese, the creating was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed corporation of which Stemmet was amongst the directors. The company was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Assets Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting annual reviews.
A different entity Using the identical title was subsequently registered as A personal enterprise, but with Stemmet no longer a director, according to CIPC documents. Instead, a relative, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were being appointed as directors.
Within the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the next early morning, the Crete Street premises were cleared as well as machinery was eradicated, In line with an affidavit by Meuwese. The gear was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent during 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 through the NLC. The investigator also photographed the products at the new premises.
On the other hand, the intended new museum internet site, similar to the outdated one particular in Wetton, was very well from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and people couldn't accessibility it. There was no signage around the setting up indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s corporations vacated the premises earlier this 12 months following he fell sick.
The funding to determine a museum was not the one lottery grant which the CTMCA obtained. In 2021, the association was allotted R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC at first refused to expose who experienced received Covid funding but last but not least relented less than media and parliamentary pressure.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-income entities associated with Stemmet and his family and his associates contain R1.4-million for the Cape Cultural Carnival and Activities Committee in 2019/20, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC once-a-year studies. Stemmet can be a former director of your committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is presently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, which can be registered at the CTMCA’s former Crete Highway offices, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for the “craft, woodwork and design programme”. On the other hand, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC elevated questions about remarkable experiences linked to earlier funding acquired because of the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified the SIU is investigating the lottery funding acquired because of the CTMCA.
Also underneath investigation is usually a R1-million payment via the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently 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 for a conduit for a further 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 Match in Limpopo following Letwaba Individually recommended that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s enterprise.
GroundUp despatched queries to Stemmet by means of SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.