“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses in excess of theft of Lottery-funded equipment
“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses in excess of theft of Lottery-funded equipment
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed because of the National Lotteries Commission to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned by the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution immediately after devices paid out for with funds from the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town setting up he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court docket in January.
In keeping with a prosecutor the legal charges could involve fraud, removal of apparatus that were attached through the Sheriff and interfering with 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 more than R2.5-million in unpaid hire, desire, authorized expenditures and harm to a rented constructing in Crete Street, in the industrial spot of Wetton in Cape City.
The building was Earlier the headquarters of the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-outdated minstrel tradition was supposedly operating.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution for theft and fraud after machines paid out for with Lottery money was faraway from a Cape Town creating.
Stemmet was arrested with the Specialised Industrial Crime Device on sixteen October 2024 and instructed to seem within the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket around the working day although the issue wasn't placed on the courtroom roll since the investigating officer didn't supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in courtroom in January.
The legal expenses stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is trying to find to Recuperate more than R2.five-million in unpaid rent, desire, authorized costs and damage to a rented developing in Crete Highway, in the commercial region of Wetton in Cape City.
The creating was Beforehand the headquarters in the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s centuries-previous minstrel lifestyle was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed a number of firms owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a drugs large flier. Among the the companies Stemmet ran from your premises have been a hat manufacturing business along with a nightclub. Stemmet continues to be arrested a number of situations for gun and drug-similar offences and served time for armed robbery in the eighties.
In line with an SMS despatched to Meuwese with the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court on 30 January 2025.
Although Stemmet is nevertheless to be presented by using a demand sheet, feasible fees, involve fraud, removal of equipment that had been connected with the Sheriff, and interfering that has a Town of Cape City electric power meter, according to an email 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 in excess of R64-million in Lottery money allotted on the CTMCA in between 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, Based on Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) annual reviews.
Stemmet was appointed a director of your CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued หวย ออก as two of several directors of the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed being 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 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 organization, but with Stemmet not a director, In line with CIPC information. Rather, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk ended up appointed as directors.
Over the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Road premises were being cleared as well as the equipment was eliminated, In keeping with an affidavit by Meuwese. The products was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent during the Athlone industrial region, which housed many of Stemmet’s businesses as well as a new “minstrel museum”, As outlined by a leaked investigative report commissioned via the NLC. The investigator also photographed the equipment at The brand new premises.
However, the meant new museum web page, like the aged just one in Wetton, was very well from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and site visitors couldn't entry it. There was no signage about the developing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s enterprises vacated the premises previously this calendar year right after he fell unwell.
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 aid grants. The NLC at first refused to reveal who had gained Covid funding but at last relented under media and parliamentary stress.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-earnings entities connected to Stemmet and his household and his associates involve 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 can be a former director of your committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is presently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, which can be registered at the CTMCA’s former Crete Highway offices, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 for any “craft, woodwork and structure programme”. Nonetheless, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC lifted questions about exceptional studies connected to before funding received from the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding received from the CTMCA.
Also under investigation is really a R1-million payment from the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently paid out R500,000 of this to legal professionals 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, an organization 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 via SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.