“Pot” Stemmet faces fees about theft of Lottery-funded gear
“Pot” Stemmet faces fees about theft of Lottery-funded gear
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed by the Countrywide Lotteries Commission to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned via the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution just after tools paid for with resources within the Lottery was faraway from a Cape City making he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court docket in January.
According to a prosecutor the criminal charges could involve fraud, removal of kit that had been connected via the Sheriff and interfering by using a City of Cape Town energy meter.
The charges stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside a civil courtroom make any difference, is in search of to Get better over R2.5-million in unpaid rent, fascination, authorized expenditures and harm to a rented setting up in Crete Highway, in the commercial place of Wetton in Cape City.
The setting up was Beforehand the headquarters of the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and it is exactly where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-previous minstrel society was supposedly running.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud right after gear paid for with Lottery money was faraway from a Cape City developing.
Stemmet was arrested because of the Specialised Commercial Crime Unit on 16 October 2024 and informed to seem from the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom within the day although the matter wasn't put on the courtroom roll since the investigating officer did not supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in courtroom in January.
The felony prices stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is looking for to recover over R2.five-million in unpaid rent, desire, authorized fees and harm to a rented setting up in Crete Street, in the industrial spot of Wetton in Cape Town.
The making was Earlier the headquarters from the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-old minstrel tradition was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed numerous companies owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have referred to as a drugs superior flier. Amid the companies Stemmet ran through the premises were being a hat manufacturing organization and also a nightclub. Stemmet has become arrested quite a few moments for gun and drug-similar offences and served time for armed theft in the 1980s.
In accordance with an SMS sent to Meuwese through the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court on 30 January 2025.
Although Stemmet is however to become presented using a cost sheet, achievable fees, consist of fraud, removing of equipment that had been connected from the Sheriff, and interfering that has a Town of Cape City electrical power meter, In keeping with an electronic mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the make a difference.
A grant of virtually R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was Portion of in excess of R64-million in Lottery resources allotted into the CTMCA in between 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of the money - above R54.three-million - paid out during the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 money yrs, In keeping with Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) yearly reports.
Stemmet was appointed a director of your CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued ตรวจ หวย รัฐบาล as two of various directors in the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed like a director in 2021.
In line with Meuwese, the making was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed corporation of which Stemmet was amongst the directors. The company was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Assets Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing yearly reviews.
A different entity With all the exact name was subsequently registered as a private corporation, but with Stemmet now not a director, In accordance with CIPC data. In its place, a relative, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were being appointed as administrators.
On the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the subsequent early morning, the Crete Road premises ended up cleared and the equipment was taken off, In line with an affidavit by Meuwese. The tools was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent in the Athlone industrial place, which housed a number of of Stemmet’s enterprises in addition to a new “minstrel museum”, according to a leaked investigative report commissioned because of the NLC. The investigator also photographed the equipment at the new premises.
Even so, the intended new museum web page, such as the outdated a person in Wetton, was nicely from any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and readers couldn't obtain it. There was no signage on the building indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s businesses vacated the premises before this yr immediately after he fell sick.
The funding to establish a museum wasn't the only lottery grant that the CTMCA gained. In 2021, the association was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC in the beginning refused to reveal who experienced received Covid funding but eventually relented under media and parliamentary force.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-revenue entities connected to Stemmet and his family and his associates incorporate R1.4-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Events Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC annual reviews. Stemmet can be a former director in the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is at present a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, that is registered at the CTMCA’s former Crete Road places of work, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 for the “craft, woodwork and layout programme”. Even so, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC lifted questions about superb studies related to earlier funding gained through the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified the SIU is investigating the lottery funding been given by the CTMCA.
Also below investigation can be a R1-million payment via 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 former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted like a conduit for a further R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, an organization through which the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, to the purchase from the mansion. Zibsimanzi obtained R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo following Letwaba Individually advised which the grant be paid to his wife’s enterprise.
GroundUp sent inquiries to Stemmet by using SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.