“Pot” Stemmet faces fees around theft of Lottery-funded gear
“Pot” Stemmet faces fees around theft of Lottery-funded gear
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed with the Countrywide Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned from the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution soon after gear compensated for with cash from your Lottery was removed from a Cape Town constructing he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court in January.
As outlined by a prosecutor the legal expenses could include things like fraud, elimination of equipment that were hooked up because of the Sheriff and interfering by using a City of Cape City energy meter.
The fees stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, within a civil courtroom matter, is trying to get to Recuperate around R2.5-million in unpaid rent, curiosity, legal expenses and damage to a rented developing in Crete Road, in the economic space of Wetton in Cape City.
The constructing was Formerly the headquarters from the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and it is where by a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s centuries-outdated minstrel tradition was supposedly running.
Convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution for theft and fraud immediately after gear paid out for with Lottery resources was removed from a Cape Town constructing.
Stemmet was arrested by the Specialised Industrial Crime Unit on 16 October 2024 and instructed to look in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket on the working day however the make a difference was not put on the courtroom roll since the investigating officer did not produce the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court in January.
The criminal rates stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's trying to find to Recuperate over R2.five-million in unpaid rent, fascination, legal expenditures and damage to a rented making in Crete Road, in the commercial area of Wetton in Cape Town.
The making was previously the headquarters on the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s centuries-previous minstrel lifestyle was supposedly running.
The premises also housed several organizations owned by Stemmet, whom police have referred to as a medications significant flier. Between the companies Stemmet ran through the premises have been a hat manufacturing business along with a nightclub. Stemmet continues to be arrested several situations for gun and drug-linked offences and served time for armed robbery during the eighties.
In accordance with an SMS despatched to Meuwese from the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court on 30 January 2025.
While Stemmet is however being introduced using a cost sheet, probable costs, incorporate fraud, elimination of apparatus that were connected with the Sheriff, and interfering that has a Town of Cape City electric power meter, As outlined by an e mail sent 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 to the CTMCA concerning 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - more than R54.three-million - paid from the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 monetary decades, In line with Countrywide Lotteries Fee (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 ตรวจ ล้อ ต เต อ รี่ as two of many directors on the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as being a director in 2021.
In accordance with Meuwese, the setting up was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was considered one of the directors. The corporate was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual House Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing once-a-year studies.
A brand new entity Together with the similar title was subsequently registered as A non-public company, but with Stemmet now not a director, In keeping with CIPC documents. As a substitute, a relative, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk ended up appointed as directors.
About the night of 12 April 2021 and into the next morning, the Crete Road premises ended up cleared as well as machinery was taken off, In accordance with an affidavit by Meuwese. The machines was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent during the Athlone industrial location, which housed a number of of Stemmet’s firms in addition to a new “minstrel museum”, Based on a leaked investigative report commissioned with the NLC. The investigator also photographed the devices at The brand new premises.
On the other hand, the intended new museum web-site, similar to the outdated one particular in Wetton, was properly far from any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and site visitors couldn't entry it. There was no signage within the developing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s businesses vacated the premises previously this year soon after he fell ill.
The funding to ascertain 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 relief grants. The NLC originally refused to expose who experienced 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.four-million with the Cape Cultural Carnival and Situations Committee in 2019/twenty, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, In accordance with NLC annual experiences. Stemmet is often a former director of the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at present a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, that's registered in the CTMCA’s previous Crete Highway offices, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for your “craft, woodwork and style programme”. Having said that, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC elevated questions about remarkable reports linked to previously funding acquired because of the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified the SIU is investigating the lottery funding acquired with the CTMCA.
Also beneath investigation can be a R1-million payment with the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid R500,000 of the to lawyers performing in the acquisition of a 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 firm during which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, to the purchase with the mansion. Zibsimanzi obtained R4.eight-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo immediately after Letwaba personally advised which the grant be compensated to his spouse’s organization.
GroundUp despatched thoughts to Stemmet via SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.