“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, remaining, and an investigator appointed via the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned by the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution just after equipment compensated for with money from your Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town constructing he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court docket in January.
As outlined by a prosecutor the legal charges could involve fraud, elimination of kit that had been connected by the Sheriff and interfering by using a Town of Cape Town electric power meter.
The charges stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, within a civil courtroom matter, is trying to get to recover above R2.five-million in unpaid lease, curiosity, legal costs and harm to a rented setting up in Crete Highway, in the commercial region of Wetton in Cape City.
The setting up was Earlier the headquarters in the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is where by a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-previous minstrel society was supposedly working.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud just after tools compensated for with Lottery funds was removed from a Cape Town constructing.
Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Commercial Crime Unit on 16 October 2024 and informed to appear while in the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom within the day nevertheless the issue was not put 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's looking for to Get better above R2.five-million in unpaid rent, fascination, legal charges and harm to a rented creating in Crete Highway, in the industrial spot of Wetton in Cape City.
The developing was Formerly the headquarters of your Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s centuries-previous minstrel lifestyle was supposedly running.
The premises also housed various businesses owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a prescription drugs high flier. Among the companies Stemmet ran within the premises ended up a hat production organization as well as a nightclub. Stemmet continues to be arrested several situations for gun and drug-relevant offences and served time for armed robbery from the 1980s.
In keeping with an SMS sent to Meuwese because of the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in courtroom on thirty January 2025.
Although Stemmet is nevertheless to generally be presented by using a cost sheet, probable charges, contain fraud, elimination of apparatus that had been 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 managing the subject.
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 bulk of The cash - above R54.three-million - paid from the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 monetary decades, In accordance with Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) once-a-year reviews.
Stemmet was appointed a director on the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ผล สลากกินแบ่ง as two of various 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 among the administrators. The corporation was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Property Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting annual reports.
A fresh entity Together with the very same title was subsequently registered as a private business, but with Stemmet no longer a director, according to CIPC documents. As a substitute, a loved one, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as administrators.
Within the night of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Street premises had been cleared as well as machinery was taken off, In accordance with an affidavit by Meuwese. The machines was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent inside the Athlone industrial place, which housed several of Stemmet’s organizations and also a new “minstrel museum”, according to a leaked investigative report commissioned through the NLC. The investigator also photographed the products at the new premises.
Even so, the intended new museum web site, such as the previous 1 in Wetton, was nicely away from any of Cape City’s tourist routes and visitors couldn't access it. There was no signage on the setting up indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s firms vacated the premises earlier this 12 months following he fell sick.
The funding to establish a museum was not the one lottery grant which the CTMCA obtained. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC originally refused to expose who experienced been given Covid funding but lastly relented beneath media and parliamentary force.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-financial gain entities associated with Stemmet and his family and his associates consist of R1.4-million for the Cape Cultural Carnival and Events Committee in 2019/twenty, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, In line with NLC yearly reports. Stemmet is a previous director in the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at this time a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which happens to be registered for the CTMCA’s former Crete Street places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/20, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 for any “craft, woodwork and structure programme”. Even so, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC lifted questions about exceptional stories related to earlier funding obtained by the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified the SIU is investigating the lottery funding obtained via the CTMCA.
Also below investigation can be a R1-million payment via the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn compensated R500,000 of the to attorneys acting in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted for a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a business during which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, towards the acquisition with the mansion. Zibsimanzi been given R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo after Letwaba Individually suggested the grant be paid to his wife’s enterprise.
GroundUp sent thoughts to Stemmet through SMS but he experienced not replied by the time of publication.