“Pot” Stemmet faces rates above theft of Lottery-funded equipment
“Pot” Stemmet faces rates above theft of Lottery-funded equipment
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed because of the National Lotteries Commission to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned by the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution right after equipment paid for with money with the Lottery was removed from a Cape City developing he rented.
Stemmet is to look in court in January.
Based on a prosecutor the criminal expenses could involve fraud, elimination of equipment that were attached from the Sheriff and interfering which has a Town of Cape Town electrical power meter.
The fees stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, within a civil courtroom make any difference, is trying to find to Recuperate around R2.5-million in unpaid hire, desire, lawful costs and harm to a rented building in Crete Highway, in the industrial region of Wetton in Cape Town.
The making was Earlier the headquarters with the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is exactly where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s centuries-aged minstrel society was supposedly functioning.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution for theft and fraud following machines paid out for with Lottery funds was removed from a Cape City building.
Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Industrial Crime Device on 16 October 2024 and advised to look while in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom about the working day though the subject wasn't put on the court docket roll as the investigating officer did not provide the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom in January.
The prison expenses stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's trying to get to Recuperate about R2.five-million in unpaid lease, fascination, authorized expenditures and harm to a rented developing in Crete Highway, in the economic spot of Wetton in Cape Town.
The developing was previously the headquarters of your Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s generations-previous minstrel lifestyle was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed various organizations owned by Stemmet, whom police have called a medicine large flier. Among the the businesses Stemmet ran within the premises have been a hat producing organization and also a nightclub. Stemmet is arrested many situations for gun and drug-similar offences and served time for armed theft in the nineteen eighties.
According to an SMS despatched to Meuwese by the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom on 30 January 2025.
Although Stemmet is yet being presented that has a charge sheet, attainable charges, incorporate fraud, removing of kit that were attached from the Sheriff, and interfering using a City of Cape Town electrical energy meter, In line 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 A part of greater than R64-million in Lottery resources allocated to the CTMCA concerning 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - above R54.three-million - paid from the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economic decades, In line with Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) yearly experiences.
Stemmet was appointed a director in the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued ตา ว จ หวย as two of quite a few administrators from the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as a director in 2021.
Based on Meuwese, the making was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was one of the directors. The corporate was deregistered by the businesses and Intellectual Home Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing yearly experiences.
A fresh entity Along with the exact identify was subsequently registered as A personal enterprise, but with Stemmet no longer a director, according to CIPC documents. Instead, a relative, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were being appointed as directors.
On the night of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Street premises had been cleared and the equipment was removed, As outlined by an affidavit by Meuwese. The tools was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent within the Athlone industrial place, which housed a number of of Stemmet’s organizations and a new “minstrel museum”, In accordance with a leaked investigative report commissioned because of the NLC. The investigator also photographed the machines at The brand new premises.
Having said that, the meant new museum website, such as the previous one particular in Wetton, was properly faraway from any of Cape City’s tourist routes and guests could not entry it. There was no signage about the developing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s companies vacated the premises before this year just after he fell ill.
The funding to determine a museum was not the only lottery grant which the CTMCA obtained. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC in the beginning refused to reveal who had acquired Covid funding but at last relented below media and parliamentary strain.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-profit entities linked to Stemmet and his household and his associates involve R1.four-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Situations Committee in 2019/twenty, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, In accordance with NLC annual reports. Stemmet is really a former director of the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is now a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which can be registered at the CTMCA’s former Crete Highway offices, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for your “craft, woodwork and design and style programme”. However, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC elevated questions on outstanding studies relevant to before funding been given from the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding received by the CTMCA.
Also under investigation is a R1-million payment by the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently paid out R500,000 of this to legal professionals acting in the acquisition 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 been given R4.8-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo following Letwaba personally proposed that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s company.
GroundUp sent issues to Stemmet via SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.