“Pot” Stemmet faces fees about theft of Lottery-funded tools
“Pot” Stemmet faces fees about theft of Lottery-funded tools
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed through the Countrywide Lotteries Commission to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned by the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution right after products paid out for with funds through the Lottery was removed from a Cape Town creating he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court in January.
In accordance with a prosecutor the criminal charges could contain fraud, removing of apparatus that were hooked up from the Sheriff and interfering using a Metropolis of Cape City electric power meter.
The charges stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in the civil court matter, is trying to get to Recuperate about R2.five-million in unpaid hire, desire, legal charges and damage to a rented making in Crete Highway, in the economic region of Wetton in Cape Town.
The developing was previously the headquarters from the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is exactly where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-previous minstrel tradition was supposedly operating.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud right after gear paid out for with Lottery funds was faraway from a Cape City making.
Stemmet was arrested by the Specialised Industrial Criminal offense Device on 16 October 2024 and advised to seem while in the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court over the day nevertheless the matter was not placed on the courtroom roll since the investigating officer didn't deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court in January.
The legal rates stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's trying to get to Get better around R2.five-million in unpaid lease, curiosity, authorized prices and harm to a rented setting up in Crete Highway, in the commercial spot of Wetton in Cape Town.
The creating was Earlier the headquarters of the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-outdated minstrel culture was supposedly running.
The premises also housed several companies owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have described as a medicines superior flier. Amid the companies Stemmet ran from your premises have been a hat production corporation in addition to a nightclub. Stemmet is arrested many occasions for gun and drug-associated offences and served time for armed theft inside the eighties.
As outlined by an SMS despatched to Meuwese because of the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court docket on thirty January 2025.
Whilst Stemmet is nonetheless to be introduced that has a cost sheet, feasible charges, include things like fraud, removing of equipment that were attached because of the Sheriff, and interfering which has a Town of Cape City energy meter, In accordance with an e-mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the make a difference.
A grant of virtually R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was Section of in excess of R64-million in Lottery resources allocated for the CTMCA among 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - above R54.3-million - paid out inside the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 monetary yrs, In line with National Lotteries Commission (NLC) yearly reports.
Stemmet was appointed a director with the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued สลาก กิน as two of various directors from the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed for a director in 2021.
In line with Meuwese, the developing was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was certainly one of the directors. The corporation was deregistered by the Companies and Mental Home Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting annual reviews.
A whole new entity While using the same identify was subsequently registered as A personal enterprise, but with Stemmet now not a director, In keeping with CIPC data. Alternatively, a loved one, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as administrators.
About the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Road premises ended up cleared along with the equipment was taken out, Based on an affidavit by Meuwese. The devices was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent inside the Athlone industrial place, which housed a number of of Stemmet’s corporations 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.
However, the meant new museum web page, like the aged a person in Wetton, was perfectly faraway from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and people could not obtain it. There was no signage over the making 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 in the beginning refused to reveal who had gained Covid funding but lastly relented beneath media and parliamentary force.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-gain entities linked to Stemmet and his loved ones and his associates incorporate R1.4-million for your Cape Cultural Carnival and Activities Committee in 2019/20, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, In keeping with NLC yearly reviews. Stemmet is really a previous director with the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is currently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, which can be registered at the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road workplaces, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for a “craft, woodwork and style and design programme”. Nevertheless, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC lifted questions about exceptional stories related to earlier funding received through the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding obtained through the CTMCA.
Also below investigation is actually a R1-million payment through the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn compensated R500,000 of this to lawyers performing in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted as a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a business during which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, to the purchase of your mansion. Zibsimanzi acquired R4.eight-million to phase a rural soccer Match in Limpopo after Letwaba personally encouraged that the grant be paid to his wife’s corporation.
GroundUp despatched concerns to Stemmet through SMS but he had not replied by the point of publication.