“Pot” Stemmet faces charges more than theft of Lottery-funded products
“Pot” Stemmet faces charges more than theft of Lottery-funded products
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed because of the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Picture from an investigative report commissioned from the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution following tools paid out for with money through the Lottery was removed from a Cape City making he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court in January.
Based on a prosecutor the criminal rates could include fraud, removing of equipment that had been connected by the Sheriff and interfering by using a Town of Cape Town electrical power meter.
The fees stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in the civil court docket make a difference, is trying to get to recover more than R2.5-million in unpaid lease, curiosity, authorized fees and damage to a rented setting up in Crete Highway, in the economic area of Wetton in Cape City.
The setting up was Earlier the headquarters with the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and it is the place a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s generations-previous minstrel tradition was supposedly operating.
Convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud following machines paid out for with Lottery resources was removed from a Cape City developing.
Stemmet was arrested because of the Specialised Commercial Crime Unit on sixteen Oct 2024 and explained to to appear while in the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket around the day although the matter wasn't put on the courtroom roll because the investigating officer didn't produce the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court in January.
The prison rates stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's seeking to Get well in excess of R2.5-million in unpaid lease, interest, lawful expenses and harm to a rented constructing in Crete Road, in the economic spot of Wetton in Cape Town.
The setting up was Formerly the headquarters of your Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s centuries-outdated minstrel society was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed numerous enterprises owned by Stemmet, whom police have called a medication large flier. Between the companies Stemmet ran from the premises were a hat manufacturing company and a nightclub. Stemmet continues to be arrested several times for gun and drug-similar offences and served time for armed robbery within the eighties.
In line with an SMS despatched to Meuwese because of the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in courtroom on thirty January 2025.
Though Stemmet is however to generally be presented using a cost sheet, probable costs, involve fraud, removal of kit that had been hooked up from the Sheriff, and interfering having a City of Cape Town electric power meter, In keeping with an electronic mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the make a difference.
A grant of almost R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was part of more than R64-million in Lottery cash allocated to the CTMCA involving 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - around R54.three-million - paid out inside the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 monetary yrs, In accordance with Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) yearly experiences.
Stemmet was appointed a director on the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing หวย ไทยรัฐ as two of quite a few directors of your organisation. Stemmet was reappointed like a director in 2021.
According to Meuwese, the constructing was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed Company of which Stemmet was certainly one of the directors. The corporation was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Property 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 organization, but with Stemmet not a director, Based on CIPC records. Instead, a relative, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk have been appointed as directors.
To the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the following morning, the Crete Highway premises had been cleared and also the machinery was removed, In keeping with an affidavit by Meuwese. The tools was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent during the Athlone industrial region, which housed various of Stemmet’s businesses plus a new “minstrel museum”, In keeping with a leaked investigative report commissioned from the NLC. The investigator also photographed the products at the new premises.
On the other hand, the meant new museum web page, such as aged a person in Wetton, was very well faraway from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and people could not obtain it. There was no signage over the making indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s organizations vacated the premises before this yr after he fell sick.
The funding to determine a museum was not the one lottery grant which the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC to begin with refused to expose who experienced received Covid funding but ultimately relented underneath media and parliamentary tension.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-profit entities linked to Stemmet and his loved ones and his associates incorporate R1.4-million to the Cape Cultural Carnival and Functions Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, In accordance with NLC once-a-year stories. Stemmet is often a former director from the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is presently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, that's registered in the CTMCA’s previous Crete Highway workplaces, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 to get a “craft, woodwork and style and design programme”. Nonetheless, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC raised questions about fantastic reviews linked to earlier funding acquired by the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding acquired with the CTMCA.
Also underneath investigation is usually a R1-million payment by the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently compensated 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 for a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, an organization during which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, to the acquisition with the mansion. Zibsimanzi obtained R4.eight-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo after Letwaba personally recommended that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s business.
GroundUp sent issues to Stemmet via SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.