“Pot” Stemmet faces fees about theft of Lottery-funded equipment
“Pot” Stemmet faces fees about theft of Lottery-funded equipment
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed from the Countrywide Lotteries Fee to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Picture from an investigative report commissioned via the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution right after tools paid for with resources with the Lottery was removed from a Cape City constructing he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in courtroom in January.
In line with a prosecutor the criminal prices could contain fraud, removing of equipment that had been connected via the Sheriff and interfering using a Metropolis of Cape City electricity meter.
The charges stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in the civil court docket make any difference, is searching for to Recuperate in excess of R2.5-million in unpaid rent, interest, lawful prices and harm to a rented constructing in Crete Street, in the industrial area of Wetton in Cape City.
The constructing 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 generations-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 faraway from a Cape City developing.
Stemmet was arrested because of the Specialised Professional Crime Unit on sixteen Oct 2024 and told to appear inside the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court around the day however the make a difference was not put on the courtroom roll because the investigating officer didn't supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket in January.
The felony expenses stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is trying to get to Get well more than R2.five-million in unpaid rent, fascination, lawful charges and harm to a rented constructing in Crete Highway, in the industrial spot of Wetton in Cape City.
The developing was Earlier the headquarters of your Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-previous minstrel lifestyle was supposedly running.
The premises also housed quite a few businesses owned by Stemmet, whom police have called a drugs higher flier. Amongst the businesses Stemmet ran from the premises were a hat producing corporation and also a nightclub. Stemmet has actually been arrested numerous occasions for gun and drug-related offences and served time for armed robbery in the eighties.
Based on an SMS despatched to Meuwese by the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court docket on thirty January 2025.
Even though Stemmet is still to become offered that has a demand sheet, feasible expenses, include things like fraud, elimination of kit that were connected with the Sheriff, and interfering that has a Metropolis of Cape Town electrical power 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 in excess of R64-million in Lottery money allotted on the CTMCA in between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - in excess of R54.three-million - paid out during the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 fiscal 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 หวย หุ้น as two of various directors with the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as being a director in 2021.
According to Meuwese, the creating was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed Company of which Stemmet was certainly one of 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 very same title was subsequently registered as a private company, but with Stemmet now not a director, according to CIPC documents. As a substitute, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were appointed as administrators.
Within the night of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Street premises were cleared plus the machinery was taken out, Based on an affidavit by Meuwese. The devices was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent within the Athlone industrial spot, which housed quite a few of Stemmet’s companies plus a new “minstrel museum”, In keeping with a leaked investigative report commissioned from the NLC. The investigator also photographed the gear at the new premises.
Nevertheless, the supposed new museum site, like the aged a person in Wetton, was very well faraway from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and website visitors could not obtain it. There was no signage about the developing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s businesses vacated the premises previously this calendar year soon after he fell unwell.
The funding to establish a museum wasn't the only real lottery grant that the CTMCA gained. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC in the beginning refused to reveal who had been given Covid funding but eventually relented beneath media and parliamentary tension.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-earnings entities connected to Stemmet and his relatives and his associates include R1.4-million for your Cape Cultural Carnival and Gatherings Committee in 2019/twenty, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, As outlined by NLC yearly reviews. Stemmet can be a former director of the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is now a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, and that is registered within the CTMCA’s previous Crete Street offices, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for just a “craft, woodwork and structure programme”. Having said that, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC lifted questions about outstanding studies connected with earlier funding been given through the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed the SIU is investigating the lottery funding acquired because of the CTMCA.
Also less than investigation is usually a R1-million payment by the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently paid out R500,000 of this to lawyers performing in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted like a conduit for a further R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a corporation wherein the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, toward the purchase of your mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo soon after Letwaba Individually advisable that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s company.
GroundUp sent thoughts to Stemmet through SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.