“Pot” Stemmet faces fees around theft of Lottery-funded tools
“Pot” Stemmet faces fees around theft of Lottery-funded tools
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed through the Countrywide Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned because of the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution following gear paid for with cash with the Lottery was removed from a Cape City creating he rented.
Stemmet is to look in courtroom in January.
In accordance with a prosecutor the prison prices could incorporate fraud, removing of equipment that had been hooked up by the Sheriff and interfering by using a Town of Cape City electrical energy meter.
The costs stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a civil court make a difference, is trying to find to Get well about R2.five-million in unpaid lease, curiosity, authorized fees and damage to a rented developing in Crete Road, in the economic place of Wetton in Cape Town.
The developing was previously the headquarters with the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is also exactly where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-aged minstrel tradition was supposedly functioning.
Convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution for theft and fraud right after machines paid for with Lottery money was faraway from a Cape City building.
Stemmet was arrested through the Specialised Business Criminal offense Device on sixteen Oct 2024 and instructed to look in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket on the working day however the matter wasn't put on the courtroom roll because the investigating officer didn't supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket in January.
The felony expenses stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is trying to get to Get well more than R2.five-million in unpaid rent, fascination, legal charges and damage to a rented constructing in Crete Highway, in the industrial space of Wetton in Cape Town.
The constructing was Beforehand the headquarters from the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-old minstrel culture was supposedly operating.
The premises also housed numerous corporations owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have referred to as a medicine superior flier. Among the the companies Stemmet ran with the premises ended up a hat production organization as well as a nightclub. Stemmet continues to be arrested several situations for gun and drug-linked offences and served time for armed robbery during the eighties.
According to an SMS despatched to Meuwese by the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court docket on 30 January 2025.
While Stemmet is nevertheless to become offered which has a charge sheet, achievable fees, involve fraud, removing of kit that were hooked up via the Sheriff, and interfering which has a Town of Cape City electric power meter, In keeping with an electronic mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the matter.
A grant of just about R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was Component of greater than R64-million in Lottery funds allotted to the CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of the money - above R54.3-million - paid during the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economical several years, according to National Lotteries Commission (NLC) annual experiences.
Stemmet was appointed a director with the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued ตรวจ หวย รัฐบาล as two of a number of directors from the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed like a director in 2021.
In line with Meuwese, the creating was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed Company of which Stemmet was among the administrators. The business was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Property Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing once-a-year stories.
A brand new entity Together with the same title was subsequently registered as A personal enterprise, but with Stemmet no longer a director, In accordance with CIPC data. As a substitute, a loved one, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were being appointed as directors.
Around the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the next morning, the Crete Street premises had been cleared and also the machinery was taken off, As outlined by an affidavit by Meuwese. The products was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent within the Athlone industrial space, which housed quite a few of Stemmet’s firms in addition to a new “minstrel museum”, In line with a leaked investigative report commissioned from the NLC. The investigator also photographed the devices at The brand new premises.
Nonetheless, the intended new museum web page, just like the previous one particular in Wetton, was perfectly far from any of Cape Town’s tourist routes and site visitors could not entry it. There was no signage to the making indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s enterprises vacated the premises previously this yr right after he fell unwell.
The funding to ascertain a museum wasn't the sole lottery grant which the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC originally refused to expose who had gained Covid funding but ultimately relented less than media and parliamentary stress.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-financial gain entities linked to Stemmet and his loved ones and his associates include things like R1.four-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Gatherings Committee in 2019/twenty, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, As outlined by NLC once-a-year reports. Stemmet is really a previous director of the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at this time a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which can be registered on the CTMCA’s previous Crete Street offices, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 to get a “craft, woodwork and design programme”. On the other hand, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC lifted questions about remarkable stories associated with previously funding gained by the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding obtained through the CTMCA.
Also underneath investigation is usually a R1-million payment by the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn paid R500,000 of the to legal professionals performing in the purchase of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted to be a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a corporation by which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in the direction of the purchase of your mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo just after Letwaba Individually suggested the grant be paid to his spouse’s company.
GroundUp sent thoughts to Stemmet through SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.