“Pot” Stemmet faces charges above theft of Lottery-funded machines
“Pot” Stemmet faces charges above theft of Lottery-funded machines
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed from the Countrywide Lotteries Fee to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Picture from an investigative report commissioned because of the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution following gear compensated for with cash through the Lottery was removed from a Cape City creating he rented.
Stemmet is to look in court in January.
Based on a prosecutor the felony costs could include fraud, elimination of apparatus that were attached with the Sheriff and interfering which has a City of Cape Town electric power meter.
The fees stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, within a civil courtroom subject, is seeking to recover over R2.five-million in unpaid hire, desire, authorized charges and damage to a rented creating in Crete Road, in the economic place of Wetton in Cape Town.
The creating was previously the headquarters of your Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) which is in which a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-old minstrel tradition was supposedly functioning.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution for theft and fraud right after machines paid for with Lottery money was faraway from a Cape City building.
Stemmet was arrested through the Specialised Business Criminal offense Device on sixteen October 2024 and advised to seem from the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom to the working day although the subject 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 seem in court in January.
The prison fees stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is seeking to Get well above R2.five-million in unpaid rent, fascination, legal expenditures and damage to a rented constructing in Crete Highway, in the industrial place of Wetton in Cape City.
The creating 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 companies owned by Stemmet, whom police have described as a drugs higher flier. Amongst the companies Stemmet ran within the premises were being a hat producing firm plus a nightclub. Stemmet is arrested a number of times for gun and drug-similar offences and served time for armed robbery during the eighties.
According to an SMS sent to Meuwese via the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in courtroom on thirty January 2025.
Even though Stemmet is still to become presented by using a demand sheet, possible expenses, incorporate fraud, elimination of kit that were connected with the Sheriff, and interfering that has a Metropolis of Cape Town electrical energy meter, In accordance with an e-mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the issue.
A grant of almost R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was Component of a lot more than R64-million in Lottery funds allotted for the CTMCA between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of The cash - above R54.three-million - paid from the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 monetary yrs, In accordance with Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) once-a-year reports.
Stemmet was appointed a director on the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing หวย as two of a number of administrators from the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed for a director in 2021.
In accordance with Meuwese, the making was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was one among the administrators. The corporation was deregistered by the Companies and Mental Property Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting once-a-year reports.
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 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 corporations and a new “minstrel museum”, In accordance with a leaked investigative report commissioned with the NLC. The investigator also photographed the devices at the new premises.
Even so, the intended new museum web site, such as the old one in Wetton, was well clear of any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and people could not obtain it. There was no signage to the creating 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 was not the one lottery grant which the CTMCA obtained. In 2021, the association was allotted R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC initially refused to reveal who had obtained Covid funding but eventually relented less than media and parliamentary tension.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-profit entities associated with Stemmet and his family members and his associates contain R1.4-million with the Cape Cultural Carnival and Situations Committee in 2019/twenty, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, Based on NLC once-a-year stories. Stemmet can be a former director of your committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is now a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which is registered for the CTMCA’s former Crete Street places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/20, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for a “craft, woodwork and layout programme”. However, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC elevated questions about fantastic experiences associated with earlier funding obtained through the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding received 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 the to attorneys acting in the acquisition of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted as being a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a business by which the spouse 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 Match in Limpopo after Letwaba personally encouraged which the grant be compensated to his wife’s organization.
GroundUp sent issues to Stemmet by using SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.