“Pot” Stemmet faces prices over theft of Lottery-funded products
“Pot” Stemmet faces prices over theft of Lottery-funded products
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed through the National Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Picture from an investigative report commissioned because of the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution just after devices compensated for with funds through the Lottery was faraway from a Cape City developing he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court in January.
As outlined by a prosecutor the prison prices could involve fraud, elimination of equipment that were connected because of the Sheriff and interfering which has a Town of Cape Town electricity meter.
The costs stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside of a civil court make any difference, is seeking to Get well over R2.5-million in unpaid lease, fascination, authorized expenditures and harm to a rented developing in Crete Highway, in the industrial place of Wetton in Cape City.
The developing was previously the headquarters in the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is in which a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s centuries-previous minstrel culture was supposedly operating.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud following equipment compensated for with Lottery money was faraway from a Cape Town creating.
Stemmet was arrested from the Specialised Professional Crime Device on sixteen Oct 2024 and advised to look during the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom within the working day but the issue was not placed on the court roll because the investigating officer did not deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court docket in January.
The criminal expenses stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is seeking to Get better about R2.5-million in unpaid hire, fascination, legal expenditures and damage to a rented setting up in Crete Street, in the economic spot of Wetton in Cape Town.
The constructing was Beforehand the headquarters from the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-old minstrel culture was supposedly working.
The premises also housed many enterprises owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a prescription drugs high flier. Among the companies Stemmet ran within the premises were being a hat producing firm plus a nightclub. Stemmet has become arrested numerous occasions for gun and drug-similar offences and served time for armed robbery in the eighties.
In accordance with an SMS despatched to Meuwese through the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court docket on 30 January 2025.
While Stemmet is however to get introduced with a charge sheet, attainable rates, consist of fraud, removal of equipment that were hooked up 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 greater than R64-million in Lottery resources allocated into the CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of the money - around R54.3-million - paid out within 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 ออก as two of various directors on the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as a director in 2021.
As outlined by Meuwese, the developing was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was one of the directors. The organization was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual House Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting annual reviews.
A fresh entity Together with the very same title was subsequently registered as a private company, but with Stemmet now not a director, In keeping with CIPC data. Alternatively, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were being appointed as directors.
On the night of twelve April 2021 and into the next early morning, the Crete Road premises ended up cleared as well as the equipment was removed, As outlined by an affidavit by Meuwese. The gear was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent from the Athlone industrial area, which housed numerous of Stemmet’s corporations and a new “minstrel museum”, Based on a leaked investigative report commissioned with the NLC. The investigator also photographed the products at the new premises.
Even so, the supposed new museum website, just like the old one in Wetton, was perfectly faraway from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and website visitors could not obtain it. There was no signage about the creating indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s businesses vacated the premises previously this calendar year soon after he fell unwell.
The funding to establish a museum wasn't the only real lottery grant that the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC at first refused to reveal who had gained Covid funding but finally relented under media and parliamentary stress.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-income entities connected to Stemmet and his relatives and his associates include things like R1.four-million to the Cape Cultural Carnival and Activities Committee in 2019/20, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, In keeping with NLC yearly reviews. Stemmet is really a previous director on the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is at this time a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which happens to be registered with the CTMCA’s previous Crete Street places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/20, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for a “craft, woodwork and layout programme”. However, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC elevated questions on superb reports linked to previously funding gained via the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained because of the CTMCA.
Also underneath investigation is often a R1-million payment because of the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid R500,000 of the to lawyers performing in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted as being a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a business during which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, toward the purchase with the mansion. Zibsimanzi obtained R4.eight-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo soon after Letwaba Individually suggested the grant be paid out to his spouse’s company.
GroundUp sent queries to Stemmet by means of SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.