“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses about theft of Lottery-funded gear
“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses about theft of Lottery-funded gear
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed because of the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned via the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution following products paid out for with money from the Lottery was removed from a Cape Town making he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court in January.
According to a prosecutor the felony rates could involve fraud, elimination of equipment that had been hooked up through the Sheriff and interfering with a Metropolis of Cape City electrical energy meter.
The fees stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside of a civil court issue, is looking for to Recuperate around R2.five-million in unpaid hire, desire, lawful costs and harm to a rented developing in Crete Road, in the industrial location of Wetton in Cape Town.
The building was Beforehand the headquarters on the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is particularly exactly where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s centuries-old minstrel society was supposedly functioning.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution for theft and fraud after gear paid for with Lottery cash was removed from a Cape Town building.
Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Industrial Criminal offense Device on sixteen October 2024 and advised to look inside the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket about the working day though the subject wasn't put on the courtroom roll as the investigating officer didn't produce the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court in January.
The criminal costs stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's in search of to recover in excess of R2.5-million in unpaid rent, desire, lawful charges and damage to a rented constructing in Crete Road, in the industrial place of Wetton in Cape Town.
The constructing was Beforehand the headquarters on the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s centuries-outdated minstrel tradition was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed several companies owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have described as a medications substantial flier. Among the companies Stemmet ran in the premises have been a hat producing enterprise along with a nightclub. Stemmet has actually been arrested several occasions for gun and drug-connected offences and served time for armed theft within the nineteen eighties.
Based on an SMS despatched to Meuwese by the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom on 30 January 2025.
Whilst Stemmet is yet for being introduced using a charge sheet, achievable expenses, consist of fraud, removing of equipment that were attached by the Sheriff, and interfering which has a City of Cape City electrical energy meter, In line with an email despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the issue.
A grant of just about R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was Element of over R64-million in Lottery money allocated towards the CTMCA in between 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of the money - above R54.3-million - compensated in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 fiscal yrs, according to Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) annual reports.
Stemmet was appointed a director with the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ผล หวย ลาว วัน นี้ as two of numerous directors of your organisation. Stemmet was reappointed for a director in 2021.
In keeping with Meuwese, the setting up was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was considered one of the directors. The company was deregistered by the Companies and Mental Property Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing annual studies.
A brand new entity While using the identical identify was subsequently registered as A personal business, but with Stemmet no longer a director, In line with CIPC records. As an alternative, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were appointed as administrators.
On the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the subsequent early morning, the Crete Street premises have been cleared along with the machinery was eliminated, Based on an affidavit by Meuwese. The machines was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent from the Athlone industrial spot, which housed numerous of Stemmet’s companies and also a new “minstrel museum”, In accordance with a leaked investigative report commissioned by the NLC. The investigator also photographed the tools at The brand new premises.
Nonetheless, the intended new museum site, like the old one particular in Wetton, was perfectly clear of any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and people couldn't entry it. There was no signage on the constructing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s corporations vacated the premises previously this yr immediately after he fell sick.
The funding to ascertain a museum wasn't the only real lottery grant the CTMCA received. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC to begin with refused to reveal who had received Covid funding but at last relented beneath media and parliamentary pressure.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-income entities linked to Stemmet and his household and his associates consist of R1.4-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Occasions Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, In accordance with NLC yearly stories. Stemmet is usually a previous director on the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is at the moment a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, that's registered on the CTMCA’s previous Crete Street places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/20, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 for your “craft, woodwork and style and design programme”. Even so, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC lifted questions about outstanding stories associated with previously funding gained by the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding acquired via the CTMCA.
Also below investigation is usually a R1-million payment from the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn compensated R500,000 of the to legal professionals acting in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted like a conduit for a further R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a corporation in which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, to the purchase of the mansion. Zibsimanzi been given R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo following Letwaba Individually advised the grant be compensated to his spouse’s organization.
GroundUp sent thoughts to Stemmet by way of SMS but he had not replied by the point of publication.