“Pot” Stemmet faces prices about theft of Lottery-funded equipment
“Pot” Stemmet faces prices about theft of Lottery-funded equipment
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed from the National Lotteries Commission to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned via the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution following devices compensated for with money with the Lottery was removed from a Cape Town constructing he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court docket in January.
According to a prosecutor the felony fees could incorporate fraud, removing of equipment that were hooked up from the Sheriff and interfering with a Metropolis of Cape Town energy meter.
The charges stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a very civil court docket make a difference, is trying to find to Get better around R2.five-million in unpaid hire, fascination, authorized charges and damage to a rented creating in Crete Road, in the economic space of Wetton in Cape City.
The creating was previously the headquarters of the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is particularly the place a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-old minstrel lifestyle was supposedly operating.
Convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud immediately after gear paid out for with Lottery resources was removed from a Cape Town constructing.
Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Commercial Crime Unit on 16 October 2024 and informed to appear while in the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom within the day nevertheless the issue was not placed on the court docket roll since the investigating officer did not produce the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom in January.
The criminal rates stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is in search of to recover around R2.5-million in unpaid hire, curiosity, lawful fees and harm to a rented developing in Crete Street, in the industrial location of Wetton in Cape City.
The developing was Earlier the headquarters of the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s hundreds of years-outdated minstrel society was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed several organizations owned by Stemmet, whom police have described as a medicines substantial flier. Amid the businesses Stemmet ran from your premises had been a hat manufacturing enterprise in addition to a nightclub. Stemmet has long been arrested quite a few moments for gun and drug-connected offences and served time for armed theft while in the 1980s.
In keeping with an SMS sent to Meuwese via the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in courtroom on thirty January 2025.
Although Stemmet is nevertheless to be presented by using a demand sheet, possible expenses, include things like fraud, removing of kit that were hooked up by the Sheriff, and interfering with a City of Cape City energy meter, according to an electronic mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the make a difference.
A grant of just about R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was Section of over R64-million in Lottery funds allotted towards the CTMCA between 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - above R54.three-million - paid from the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economic decades, In line with Countrywide Lotteries Fee (NLC) annual reviews.
Stemmet was appointed a director with the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ผล หวย ลาว as two of various directors with the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed like a director in 2021.
According to Meuwese, the constructing was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed Company of which Stemmet was among the directors. The corporate was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Assets Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing once-a-year experiences.
A brand new entity With all the identical name was subsequently registered as a private company, but with Stemmet now not a director, In keeping with CIPC data. Alternatively, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were appointed as administrators.
Around the night of 12 April 2021 and into the next early morning, the Crete Road premises were being cleared along with the equipment was eliminated, In keeping with an affidavit by Meuwese. The tools was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent during the Athlone industrial region, which housed various 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 website, just like the old one in Wetton, was nicely far from any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and website visitors could not entry it. There was no signage within the creating indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s businesses vacated the premises previously this calendar 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 relatives and his associates involve R1.four-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Gatherings Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC once-a-year studies. Stemmet is actually a previous director with the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is now a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, that is registered within the CTMCA’s former Crete Street offices, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 for any “craft, woodwork and structure programme”. Even so, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC lifted questions about excellent studies connected to before funding been given from the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding been given by the CTMCA.
Also under investigation is a R1-million payment by the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently paid out R500,000 of this to legal professionals acting in the acquisition of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted for a conduit for a further R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a corporation where the wife of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, towards the purchase of the mansion. Zibsimanzi acquired R4.eight-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo just after Letwaba personally advisable which the grant be compensated to his wife’s organization.
GroundUp sent issues to Stemmet via SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.