“Pot” Stemmet faces rates over theft of Lottery-funded tools
“Pot” Stemmet faces rates over theft of Lottery-funded tools
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed via the Nationwide Lotteries Commission to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned with the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution after products paid out for with resources from your Lottery was removed from a Cape Town creating he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in courtroom in January.
In line with a prosecutor the criminal expenses could include things like fraud, elimination of equipment that were attached by the Sheriff and interfering which has a City of Cape Town electricity meter.
The costs stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside of a civil court issue, is trying to find to recover in excess of R2.five-million in unpaid hire, desire, legal fees and damage to a rented creating in Crete Road, in the industrial region of Wetton in Cape Town.
The making was Earlier the headquarters with the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is particularly exactly where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s centuries-old minstrel culture was supposedly operating.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution for theft and fraud right after products paid for with Lottery funds was faraway from a Cape City creating.
Stemmet was arrested with the Specialised Commercial Crime Device on sixteen October 2024 and instructed to look within the Wynberg Magistrate’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom to the working day though the make a difference was not put on the courtroom roll since the investigating officer did not deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court docket in January.
The felony fees stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's seeking to Get well above R2.five-million in unpaid lease, desire, authorized costs and harm to a rented developing in Crete Highway, in the industrial place of Wetton in Cape City.
The constructing was previously the headquarters on the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s centuries-previous minstrel lifestyle was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed several organizations owned by Stemmet, whom police have referred to as a medicine high flier. Among the companies Stemmet ran from the premises were a hat producing corporation in addition to a nightclub. Stemmet has long been arrested several occasions for gun and drug-related offences and served time for armed theft while in 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.
While Stemmet is nonetheless being presented with a cost sheet, attainable prices, incorporate fraud, removing of equipment that had been attached via the Sheriff, and interfering that has a City of Cape Town electricity meter, In line with an electronic mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the issue.
A grant of almost R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was A part of more than R64-million in Lottery money allocated to your CTMCA between 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of the money - above R54.3-million - compensated inside the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 money a long time, In keeping with Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) once-a-year studies.
Stemmet was appointed a director on the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing หวย ลาว ล่าสุด as two of several administrators on the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed being a director in 2021.
As outlined by Meuwese, the constructing was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth corporation of which Stemmet was certainly one of the administrators. The corporate was deregistered by the businesses and Mental House Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing once-a-year stories.
A fresh entity Together with the same name was subsequently registered as A non-public company, but with Stemmet no longer a director, In accordance with CIPC information. As a substitute, a relative, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were being appointed as administrators.
To the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Road premises ended up cleared along with the machinery was taken off, In accordance with an affidavit by Meuwese. The equipment was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent from the Athlone industrial area, which housed various of Stemmet’s businesses plus a new “minstrel museum”, In keeping with a leaked investigative report commissioned from the NLC. The investigator also photographed the products at The brand new premises.
On the other hand, the meant new museum site, just like the previous just one in Wetton, was very well faraway from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and readers couldn't access it. There was no signage on the building indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s businesses vacated the premises previously this yr after he fell sick.
The funding to establish a museum was not the only real lottery grant that the CTMCA gained. In 2021, the association was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC initially refused to reveal who had gained Covid funding but lastly relented beneath media and parliamentary tension.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-profit entities connected to Stemmet and his household and his associates involve R1.four-million with the Cape Cultural Carnival and Events Committee in 2019/twenty, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, In keeping with NLC once-a-year stories. Stemmet is often a former director from the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at this time a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which is registered within the CTMCA’s former Crete Highway offices, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for just a “craft, woodwork and layout programme”. Nevertheless, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC lifted questions about remarkable reviews relevant to before funding received through the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained because of the CTMCA.
Also less than investigation is really a R1-million payment through the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid 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 firm where the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, toward the purchase of your mansion. Zibsimanzi acquired R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo immediately after Letwaba personally proposed that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s business.
GroundUp sent thoughts to Stemmet by way of SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.