“Pot” Stemmet faces charges more than theft of Lottery-funded machines
“Pot” Stemmet faces charges more than theft of Lottery-funded machines
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed through the Countrywide Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned through the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution following gear compensated for with cash with the Lottery was removed from a Cape City setting up he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court docket in January.
According to a prosecutor the felony costs could include fraud, elimination of kit that had been attached via the Sheriff and interfering using a Town of Cape City electrical energy meter.
The costs stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a very civil court docket matter, is in search of to Get better around R2.five-million in unpaid lease, fascination, authorized fees and damage to a rented building in Crete Highway, in the commercial location of Wetton in Cape Town.
The setting up was Earlier the headquarters on the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and it is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s centuries-outdated minstrel culture was supposedly working.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud just after tools paid for with Lottery funds was removed from a Cape City creating.
Stemmet was arrested from the Specialised Business Crime Unit on sixteen Oct 2024 and informed to look within the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom within the working day nevertheless the subject wasn't put on the court docket roll as the investigating officer didn't deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in courtroom in January.
The prison expenses stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is trying to find to Get well in excess of R2.5-million in unpaid hire, fascination, legal costs and harm to a rented constructing in Crete Road, in the commercial place of Wetton in Cape Town.
The building was Earlier the headquarters in the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-aged minstrel culture was supposedly working.
The premises also housed many enterprises owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a medicines large flier. Amid the businesses Stemmet ran through the premises ended up a hat production business along with a nightclub. Stemmet is arrested a number of situations for gun and drug-linked offences and served time for armed robbery during the eighties.
In accordance with an SMS despatched to Meuwese through the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court docket on 30 January 2025.
While Stemmet is however being introduced having a cost sheet, attainable rates, consist of fraud, elimination of apparatus that had been attached through the Sheriff, and interfering by using a Metropolis of Cape Town electrical energy meter, In accordance 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 money allotted to your CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - around R54.3-million - compensated inside the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economical several years, according to 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 สลาก กิน as two of numerous administrators in the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed to be a director in 2021.
In accordance with Meuwese, the setting up was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was considered one of 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 similar title was subsequently registered as A non-public business, but with Stemmet no longer a director, Based on CIPC documents. In its place, a loved one, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as administrators.
About the night of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Street premises were cleared plus the machinery was taken out, according to an affidavit by Meuwese. The products was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent in the Athlone industrial location, which housed various of Stemmet’s companies as well as a new “minstrel museum”, As outlined by a leaked investigative report commissioned by the NLC. The investigator also photographed the equipment at The brand new premises.
However, the meant new museum web page, such as outdated one particular in Wetton, was properly far from any of Cape City’s tourist routes and guests couldn't accessibility it. There was no signage around the setting up indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s firms vacated the premises earlier this 12 months after he fell sick.
The funding to determine a museum was not the sole lottery grant the CTMCA been given. In 2021, the association was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC in the beginning refused to expose who experienced received Covid funding but ultimately relented beneath media and parliamentary force.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-financial gain entities associated with Stemmet and his spouse and children and his associates include 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 previous director with the 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 following the NLC elevated questions on superb reports linked to previously funding acquired with the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed the SIU is investigating the lottery funding obtained through the CTMCA.
Also below investigation is actually a R1-million payment through the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn compensated R500,000 of this to lawyers 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, a company wherein the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in the direction of the acquisition from the mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.8-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo after Letwaba personally encouraged which the grant be paid to his wife’s firm.
GroundUp despatched thoughts to Stemmet by way of SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.