“Pot” Stemmet faces costs above theft of Lottery-funded devices
“Pot” Stemmet faces costs above theft of Lottery-funded devices
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed through the National Lotteries Commission to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned from the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution soon after equipment paid out for with resources through the Lottery was faraway from a Cape City building he rented.
Stemmet is to look in court docket in January.
Based on a prosecutor the legal fees could involve fraud, removing of equipment that were hooked up via the Sheriff and interfering which has a Town of Cape Town electrical energy meter.
The costs stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, within a civil court make a difference, is in search of to recover about R2.five-million in unpaid rent, curiosity, lawful expenditures and damage to a rented constructing in Crete Street, in the economic spot of Wetton in Cape City.
The making was Beforehand the headquarters with the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) which is where by a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-aged minstrel society was supposedly functioning.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud immediately after equipment compensated for with Lottery resources was removed from a Cape City developing.
Stemmet was arrested from the Specialised Commercial Criminal offense Unit on sixteen October 2024 and informed to look in the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom about the day nevertheless the issue was not placed on the court roll as the investigating officer didn't produce the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court in January.
The prison fees stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's seeking to recover in excess of R2.five-million in unpaid rent, interest, lawful expenses and damage to a rented constructing in Crete Street, in the commercial place of Wetton in Cape City.
The making was Beforehand the headquarters with the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-aged minstrel lifestyle was supposedly working.
The premises also housed many organizations owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have referred to as a medications substantial flier. Amid the companies Stemmet ran from the premises were a hat production business in addition to a nightclub. Stemmet has become arrested quite a few occasions for gun and drug-relevant offences and served time for armed theft during the nineteen eighties.
In accordance with an SMS despatched to Meuwese because of the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court docket on thirty January 2025.
Though Stemmet is still to generally be offered using a charge sheet, possible charges, include fraud, elimination of equipment that were connected through the Sheriff, and interfering having a Metropolis of Cape Town electrical power meter, Based on an email sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the issue.
A grant of almost R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was part of a lot more than R64-million in Lottery cash allotted to the CTMCA among 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of the money - in excess of R54.3-million - paid out during the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economical years, Based on Countrywide Lotteries Fee (NLC) yearly studies.
Stemmet was appointed a director in the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing หวย ลาว ออก วัน นี้ สด as two of various directors of the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as a director in 2021.
According to Meuwese, the building was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed corporation of which Stemmet was certainly one of the administrators. The company was deregistered by the Companies and Mental Home Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing once-a-year studies.
A new entity Together with the same name was subsequently registered as A non-public corporation, but with Stemmet no longer a director, Based on CIPC information. In its place, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as directors.
Around the evening of 12 April 2021 and into the following morning, the Crete Road premises had been cleared as well as machinery was taken out, In keeping with an affidavit by Meuwese. The machines was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent during the Athlone industrial place, which housed various of Stemmet’s corporations and also a new “minstrel museum”, In accordance with a leaked investigative report commissioned by the NLC. The investigator also photographed the products at The brand new premises.
Nonetheless, the intended new museum internet site, like the old just one in Wetton, was well far from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and guests could not accessibility it. There was no signage about the building indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s businesses vacated the premises before this 12 months soon after he fell ill.
The funding to determine a museum was not the only real lottery grant which the CTMCA acquired. 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 experienced acquired Covid funding but eventually relented beneath media and parliamentary pressure.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-gain entities linked to Stemmet and his spouse and children and his associates contain R1.4-million with the Cape Cultural Carnival and Occasions Committee in 2019/20, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC annual reviews. Stemmet can be a former director in the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is currently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, and that is registered with the CTMCA’s former Crete Highway workplaces, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for a “craft, woodwork and style and design programme”. Even so, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC lifted questions about fantastic reports connected with before funding received through the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding been given 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 previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted to be a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a firm wherein the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, toward the purchase from the mansion. Zibsimanzi been given R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo following Letwaba Individually recommended the grant be compensated to his wife’s company.
GroundUp despatched questions to Stemmet via SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.