“Pot” Stemmet faces prices over theft of Lottery-funded devices
“Pot” Stemmet faces prices over theft of Lottery-funded devices
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed with the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned by the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution after products compensated for with cash from the Lottery was removed from a Cape City developing he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court in January.
In line with a prosecutor the felony charges could contain fraud, elimination of equipment that were attached via the Sheriff and interfering which has a City of Cape City energy meter.
The costs stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a civil court make any difference, is trying to find to recover in excess of R2.five-million in unpaid rent, curiosity, legal charges and harm to a rented developing in Crete Street, in the commercial place of Wetton in Cape City.
The building was Beforehand the headquarters of the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is also the place a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-previous minstrel culture was supposedly running.
Convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution for theft and fraud immediately after tools compensated for with Lottery resources was removed from a Cape Town making.
Stemmet was arrested from the Specialised Professional Criminal offense Unit on 16 October 2024 and advised to seem during the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court over the day though the make a difference wasn't put on the courtroom roll as the investigating officer did not provide the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in courtroom in January.
The legal prices stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is seeking to recover in excess of R2.5-million in unpaid rent, desire, lawful prices and damage to a rented setting up in Crete Street, in the commercial area of Wetton in Cape City.
The creating was Formerly the headquarters from the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-old minstrel society was supposedly operating.
The premises also housed quite a few firms owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have described as a medicine large flier. Between the businesses Stemmet ran with the premises were a hat manufacturing corporation in addition to a nightclub. Stemmet continues to be arrested various situations for gun and drug-linked offences and served time for armed robbery inside the nineteen eighties.
Based on an SMS despatched to Meuwese from the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court on thirty January 2025.
Whilst Stemmet is nonetheless being presented which has a cost sheet, feasible charges, include fraud, elimination of kit that were attached because of the Sheriff, and interfering using a City of Cape Town energy meter, In accordance with an electronic mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the make a difference.
A grant of virtually R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was A part of in excess of R64-million in Lottery resources allotted to the CTMCA among 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - around R54.three-million - paid out while in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 money decades, Based on Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) annual reports.
Stemmet was appointed a director of the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing เช ค หวย as two of many directors from the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed being a director in 2021.
According to Meuwese, the setting up was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was one among the administrators. The corporate was deregistered by the businesses and Intellectual Residence Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing annual reports.
A completely new entity Together with the same identify was subsequently registered as A non-public company, but with Stemmet no longer a director, In accordance with CIPC information. In its place, a relative, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were appointed as administrators.
Over the evening of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Road premises have been cleared along with the machinery was removed, Based on an affidavit by Meuwese. The gear was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent in the Athlone industrial place, which housed a number of of Stemmet’s organizations along with a new “minstrel museum”, Based on a leaked investigative report commissioned because of the NLC. The investigator also photographed the tools at The brand new premises.
Nevertheless, the supposed new museum web site, like the previous one in Wetton, was effectively from any of Cape Town’s tourist routes and guests could not access it. There was no signage within the developing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s organizations vacated the premises before this 12 months soon after he fell sick.
The funding to establish a museum wasn't the sole lottery grant that the CTMCA been given. In 2021, the association was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC to begin with refused to reveal who had been given Covid funding but ultimately relented less than media and parliamentary stress.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-gain entities linked to Stemmet and his spouse and children and his associates contain R1.4-million to the Cape Cultural Carnival and Situations Committee in 2019/twenty, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, In keeping with NLC once-a-year experiences. Stemmet is usually a previous director with the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at this time a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which can be registered in the CTMCA’s previous Crete Street places of work, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for a “craft, woodwork and structure programme”. Nevertheless, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC elevated questions on fantastic experiences linked to previously funding been given with the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding received from the CTMCA.
Also below investigation can be a R1-million payment because of the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently paid out R500,000 of this to lawyers performing in the acquisition of a R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted as being a conduit for a further R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a company by which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, towards the acquisition in the mansion. Zibsimanzi been given R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer Event in Limpopo just after Letwaba personally proposed that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s company.
GroundUp sent issues to Stemmet via SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.