“Pot” Stemmet faces prices about theft of Lottery-funded machines
“Pot” Stemmet faces prices about theft of Lottery-funded machines
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed through the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned through the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution right after equipment paid out for with resources from your Lottery was removed from a Cape Town constructing he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court docket in January.
In line with a prosecutor the legal costs could contain fraud, elimination of equipment that were connected from the Sheriff and interfering with a Metropolis of Cape City electric power meter.
The charges stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, within a civil court docket make a difference, is looking for to Get well over R2.5-million in unpaid lease, desire, authorized expenses and damage to a rented making in Crete Highway, in the commercial spot of Wetton in Cape City.
The making was Earlier the headquarters with the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is also in which a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s centuries-old minstrel society was supposedly functioning.
Convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud just after machines paid out for with Lottery funds was faraway from a Cape Town building.
Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Business Crime Unit on sixteen October 2024 and advised to appear during the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom about the working day even so the make any difference wasn't placed on the court roll because the investigating officer did not provide the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court in January.
The criminal expenses stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is trying to get to recover above R2.5-million in unpaid rent, interest, lawful prices and harm to a rented making in Crete Street, in the commercial location of Wetton in Cape City.
The making was Earlier the headquarters in the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s generations-previous minstrel culture was supposedly running.
The premises also housed numerous businesses owned by Stemmet, whom police have referred to as a drugs higher flier. Amid the businesses Stemmet ran from your premises were a hat manufacturing business as well as a nightclub. Stemmet has become arrested many periods for gun and drug-connected offences and served time for armed theft inside the 1980s.
As outlined by an SMS despatched to Meuwese with the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in courtroom on 30 January 2025.
Even though Stemmet is however to become introduced that has a charge sheet, achievable charges, include things like fraud, elimination of equipment that had been hooked up with the Sheriff, and interfering by using a Town of Cape Town energy meter, In keeping with an e mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the issue.
A grant of almost R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was Element of a lot more than R64-million in Lottery resources allocated for the CTMCA concerning 2003 and 2017, with the majority of The cash - over R54.three-million - compensated within the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 monetary a long time, In line with National Lotteries Fee (NLC) yearly studies.
Stemmet was appointed a director of the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued หวย วัน นี้ as two of numerous administrators with the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed being a director in 2021.
In line with Meuwese, the developing was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was among the administrators. The organization was deregistered by the businesses and Intellectual Property Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing once-a-year studies.
A fresh entity Using the similar identify was subsequently registered as a private firm, but with Stemmet not a director, As outlined by CIPC documents. Rather, a loved one, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk ended up appointed as directors.
Within the night of twelve April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Street premises had been cleared and the equipment was taken out, In accordance with an affidavit by Meuwese. The gear was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent in the Athlone industrial place, which housed numerous of Stemmet’s businesses and also a new “minstrel museum”, In accordance with a leaked investigative report commissioned via the NLC. The investigator also photographed the tools at the new premises.
On the other hand, the meant new museum site, such as the previous a person in Wetton, was well away from any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and readers couldn't entry it. There was no signage on the setting up indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s enterprises vacated the premises previously this year just after he fell ill.
The funding to determine a museum wasn't the sole lottery grant which the CTMCA received. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC initially refused to reveal who had been given Covid funding but lastly relented underneath media and parliamentary tension.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-revenue entities connected to Stemmet and his family and his associates consist of R1.4-million for the Cape Cultural Carnival and Events Committee in 2019/twenty, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, As outlined by NLC yearly studies. Stemmet can be a former director from the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at the moment a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which happens to be registered for the CTMCA’s former Crete Street places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for the “craft, woodwork and style programme”. On the other hand, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC elevated questions on outstanding reviews relevant to before funding received through the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding received from the CTMCA.
Also below investigation is really a R1-million payment through the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn compensated 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 like a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a firm through which the wife of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, towards the purchase of your mansion. Zibsimanzi acquired R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo after Letwaba personally encouraged which the grant be paid to his wife’s corporation.
GroundUp despatched concerns to Stemmet through SMS but he experienced not replied by the time of publication.