“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses in excess of theft of Lottery-funded equipment
“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses in excess of theft of Lottery-funded equipment
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed because of the Nationwide 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 soon after machines compensated for with funds in the Lottery was removed from a Cape Town constructing he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court in January.
In keeping with a prosecutor the prison charges could include fraud, removal of kit that had been attached through the Sheriff and interfering by using a City of Cape Town electrical energy meter.
The charges stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in the civil court docket issue, is in search of to recover about R2.5-million in unpaid rent, fascination, lawful expenses and harm to a rented developing in Crete Highway, in the commercial region of Wetton in Cape City.
The creating was Beforehand the headquarters from the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is also where by a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-aged minstrel lifestyle was supposedly working.
Convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud after machines paid out for with Lottery funds was faraway from a Cape Town building.
Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Industrial Criminal offense Unit on sixteen Oct 2024 and informed to look during the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom over the day although the make a difference wasn't put on the court roll because the investigating officer did not produce the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court in January.
The prison expenses stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is looking for to Recuperate in excess of R2.five-million in unpaid lease, fascination, lawful costs and damage to a rented creating in Crete Street, in the economic area of Wetton in Cape City.
The creating was previously the headquarters on the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s centuries-outdated minstrel culture was supposedly working.
The premises also housed many firms owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have described as a drugs large flier. Among the the businesses Stemmet ran through the premises were a hat production corporation and a nightclub. Stemmet has become arrested several instances for gun and drug-related offences and served time for armed robbery within the eighties.
In line with an SMS despatched to Meuwese via the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court on thirty January 2025.
Even though Stemmet is nonetheless to become introduced that has a cost sheet, attainable prices, include things like fraud, elimination of kit that had been connected from the Sheriff, and interfering having a Metropolis of Cape City electrical power meter, Based on an e-mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the issue.
A grant of just about R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was A part of in excess of R64-million in Lottery resources allotted towards the CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017, with the majority of The cash - around R54.three-million - compensated in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 fiscal yrs, In keeping with Countrywide Lotteries Fee (NLC) yearly reports.
Stemmet was appointed a director from the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued ltpbet as two of many directors with the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed being a director in 2021.
According to Meuwese, the making was leased to Stalph 164, a close Company of which Stemmet was among the administrators. The organization was deregistered by the businesses and Mental House Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing annual stories.
A fresh entity While using the exact same name was subsequently registered as A non-public company, but with Stemmet no longer a director, As outlined by CIPC data. In its place, a relative, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk ended up appointed as administrators.
Around the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Street premises had been cleared and the machinery was eliminated, Based on an affidavit by Meuwese. The machines was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent from the Athlone industrial location, which housed quite a few of Stemmet’s organizations in addition to a new “minstrel museum”, In line with a leaked investigative report commissioned via the NLC. The investigator also photographed the gear at the new premises.
Even so, the intended new museum web-site, such as aged a person in Wetton, was perfectly clear of any of Cape City’s tourist routes and guests could not obtain it. There was no signage to the constructing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s firms vacated the premises earlier this 12 months soon after he fell ill.
The funding to determine a museum was not the one lottery grant which the CTMCA obtained. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC in the beginning refused to expose who had obtained Covid funding but finally relented beneath media and parliamentary tension.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-earnings entities connected to Stemmet and his family and his associates consist of R1.4-million for the Cape Cultural Carnival and Occasions Committee in 2019/20, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC once-a-year experiences. Stemmet is usually a former director in the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is currently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, and that is registered on the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 for the “craft, woodwork and design and style programme”. However, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC raised questions about fantastic experiences associated with previously funding gained by the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding been given by the CTMCA.
Also below investigation is actually a R1-million payment with 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 former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted to be a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, an organization in which the spouse of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, toward the purchase with the mansion. Zibsimanzi received R4.eight-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo just after Letwaba personally advisable which the grant be compensated to his wife’s firm.
GroundUp despatched questions to Stemmet by way of SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.