“Pot” Stemmet faces costs in excess of theft of Lottery-funded equipment
“Pot” Stemmet faces costs in excess of theft of Lottery-funded equipment
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed via the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned via the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution soon after equipment compensated for with resources with the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town developing he rented.
Stemmet is to look in court in January.
In accordance with a prosecutor the criminal prices could incorporate fraud, removal of apparatus that were hooked up through the Sheriff and interfering that has a Metropolis of Cape Town energy meter.
The costs stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a very civil court docket issue, is looking for to Get well more than R2.5-million in unpaid lease, desire, lawful costs and damage to a rented creating in Crete Street, in the economic area of Wetton in Cape Town.
The making was Beforehand the headquarters with the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) which is in which a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s hundreds of years-previous minstrel lifestyle was supposedly working.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution for theft and fraud right after gear compensated for with Lottery cash was removed from a Cape City making.
Stemmet was arrested because of the Specialised Commercial Crime Device on 16 Oct 2024 and instructed to appear in the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom around the working day nevertheless the subject wasn't put on the court docket roll because the investigating officer did not produce the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket in January.
The criminal costs stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is seeking to recover over R2.five-million in unpaid lease, fascination, authorized fees and damage to a rented setting up in Crete Highway, in the commercial location of Wetton in Cape City.
The constructing was Formerly the headquarters from the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-old minstrel lifestyle was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed many businesses owned by Stemmet, whom police have referred to as a medicine superior flier. Among the companies Stemmet ran in the premises had been a hat manufacturing organization and also a nightclub. Stemmet continues to be arrested numerous instances for gun and drug-connected offences and served time for armed robbery during the eighties.
As outlined by an SMS sent to Meuwese via the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court on 30 January 2025.
Even though Stemmet is nonetheless to become offered which has a demand sheet, feasible fees, include fraud, removal of equipment that had been attached from the Sheriff, and interfering using a Metropolis of Cape Town electrical energy meter, In line with an e-mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the subject.
A grant of virtually R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was Element of much more than R64-million in Lottery cash allotted to your CTMCA among 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - about R54.3-million - paid out in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 fiscal many years, As outlined by National Lotteries Commission (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 สลาก as two of several directors of your organisation. Stemmet was reappointed being a director in 2021.
Based on Meuwese, the making was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed corporation of which Stemmet was one among the administrators. The company was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Home Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting annual reviews.
A whole new entity Along with the exact identify was subsequently registered as A non-public firm, but with Stemmet not a director, In accordance with CIPC information. Rather, a relative, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk ended up appointed as directors.
Over the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Road premises ended up cleared as well as the equipment was removed, As outlined by an affidavit by Meuwese. The gear was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent from the Athlone industrial area, which housed numerous of Stemmet’s enterprises along with a new “minstrel museum”, In line with a leaked investigative report commissioned because of the NLC. The investigator also photographed the machines at The brand new premises.
Having said that, the meant new museum web-site, such as 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 building indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s corporations vacated the premises earlier this calendar year right after he fell unwell.
The funding to establish a museum was not 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 at first refused to reveal 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 stories. Stemmet is actually a former director with the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is currently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, which can be registered at the CTMCA’s former Crete Highway offices, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 for any “craft, woodwork and design programme”. Even so, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC raised questions about exceptional stories connected to earlier funding received from the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding received from the CTMCA.
Also below investigation is really a R1-million payment from the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn compensated R500,000 of this to legal professionals performing in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted to be a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, an organization in which the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in direction of the acquisition in the mansion. Zibsimanzi been given R4.8-million to stage a rural soccer Event in Limpopo right after Letwaba Individually recommended that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s company.
GroundUp sent queries to Stemmet by means of SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.