“Pot” Stemmet faces rates more than theft of Lottery-funded products
“Pot” Stemmet faces rates more than theft of Lottery-funded products
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed via the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned from the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution following machines paid for with money in the Lottery was faraway from a Cape City setting up he rented.
Stemmet is to look in courtroom in January.
In accordance with a prosecutor the felony costs could contain fraud, removal of apparatus that had been connected via the Sheriff and interfering by using a Town of Cape Town electricity meter.
The costs stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in the civil court docket make a difference, is trying to get to Get better more than R2.5-million in unpaid rent, interest, lawful prices and harm to a rented making in Crete Highway, in the commercial place of Wetton in Cape Town.
The creating was previously the headquarters of the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is also where by a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-old minstrel society was supposedly working.
Convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud following equipment paid for with Lottery cash was faraway from a Cape Town making.
Stemmet was arrested through the Specialised Commercial Crime Unit on sixteen Oct 2024 and explained to to seem inside the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court over the day though the issue wasn't put on the courtroom roll since the investigating officer did not supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court docket in January.
The prison charges stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's searching for to Recuperate in excess of R2.5-million in unpaid rent, curiosity, authorized expenses and harm to a rented building in Crete Highway, in the economic place of Wetton in Cape Town.
The building was Earlier the headquarters on the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-old minstrel lifestyle was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed numerous businesses owned by Stemmet, whom police have referred to as a medication substantial flier. Among the businesses Stemmet ran within the premises ended up a hat producing business and also a nightclub. Stemmet has become arrested various times for gun and drug-associated offences and served time for armed robbery inside the eighties.
In keeping with an SMS despatched to Meuwese with the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in courtroom on 30 January 2025.
Though Stemmet is but to generally be offered which has a charge sheet, doable costs, involve fraud, elimination of apparatus that had been connected through the Sheriff, and interfering which has a Town of Cape Town energy meter, As outlined by an email despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the matter.
A grant of almost R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was Portion of in excess of R64-million in Lottery resources allotted on the CTMCA between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of The cash - in excess of R54.3-million - compensated within the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 monetary many years, As outlined by Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) yearly studies.
Stemmet was appointed a director in the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing หวย หุ้น as two of several administrators in the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as being a director in 2021.
According to Meuwese, the setting up was leased to Stalph 164, a close Company of which Stemmet was certainly one of the administrators. The corporation was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Residence Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting annual studies.
A different entity Using the very same title was subsequently registered as A non-public enterprise, but with Stemmet no longer a director, according to CIPC records. Instead, a relative, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk ended up appointed as administrators.
Around the night of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Highway premises had been cleared and the machinery was eradicated, In line with an affidavit by Meuwese. The gear was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent from the Athlone industrial region, which housed many of Stemmet’s businesses as well as a new “minstrel museum”, As outlined by a leaked investigative report commissioned by the NLC. The investigator also photographed the gear at the new premises.
Nevertheless, the supposed new museum site, like the aged a person in Wetton, was perfectly clear of any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and readers couldn't accessibility it. There was no signage on the setting up indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s firms vacated the premises before this yr after he fell sick.
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 reveal who had gained Covid funding but finally relented below media and parliamentary strain.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-income entities connected to Stemmet and his spouse and children and his associates include R1.4-million for your Cape Cultural Carnival and Functions Committee in 2019/20, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC once-a-year experiences. Stemmet is a previous director of your committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at the moment a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which can be registered at the CTMCA’s previous Crete Highway workplaces, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for any “craft, woodwork and design programme”. Having said that, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC raised questions about remarkable reports connected with previously funding been given through the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained via the CTMCA.
Also below investigation can be a R1-million payment via the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently paid out R500,000 of this to lawyers performing in the purchase of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted to be a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a corporation wherein the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, towards the acquisition with the mansion. Zibsimanzi obtained R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo right after Letwaba Individually suggested the grant be paid to his wife’s business.
GroundUp despatched questions to Stemmet by way of SMS but he had not replied by the point of publication.