“Pot” Stemmet faces prices around theft of Lottery-funded gear
“Pot” Stemmet faces prices around theft of Lottery-funded gear
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed from the Countrywide Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned via the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution just after tools paid out for with money from your Lottery was removed from a Cape Town constructing he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in courtroom in January.
Based on a prosecutor the felony rates could consist of fraud, removing of equipment that had been connected with the Sheriff and interfering by using a Town of Cape Town energy meter.
The charges stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in the civil court issue, is searching for to Get well about R2.five-million in unpaid hire, fascination, lawful expenses and damage to a rented constructing in Crete Highway, in the economic area of Wetton in Cape City.
The building was Formerly the headquarters with the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is where by a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-old minstrel society was supposedly functioning.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud right after gear paid for with Lottery cash was removed from a Cape City constructing.
Stemmet was arrested through the Specialised Commercial Criminal offense Unit on 16 October 2024 and told to look inside the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court over the day although the matter was not put on the court roll as the investigating officer did not supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court in January.
The prison rates stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's trying to get to Get well around R2.five-million in unpaid lease, fascination, lawful prices and harm to a rented creating in Crete Street, in the commercial space of Wetton in Cape City.
The making was Earlier the headquarters on the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-previous minstrel culture was supposedly running.
The premises also housed a number of organizations owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have described as a drugs significant flier. Amid the companies Stemmet ran from your premises were being a hat production company in addition to a nightclub. Stemmet is arrested quite a few occasions for gun and drug-connected offences and served time for armed robbery from the nineteen eighties.
Based on an SMS despatched to Meuwese by the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court on thirty January 2025.
While Stemmet is still to get presented with a cost sheet, achievable expenses, consist of fraud, elimination of kit that were connected by the Sheriff, and interfering using a Metropolis of Cape Town electric power meter, In accordance with an e mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the issue.
A grant of almost R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was part of greater than R64-million in Lottery resources allocated towards the CTMCA concerning 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - more than R54.three-million - paid out within the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 financial decades, In keeping with Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) annual stories.
Stemmet was appointed a director of the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ตรวจ รางวัล as two of many directors of your organisation. Stemmet was reappointed being a director in 2021.
According to Meuwese, the setting up was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was one of the directors. The corporate was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Property Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting annual studies.
A different entity with the identical title was subsequently registered as A non-public firm, but with Stemmet no more a director, As outlined by CIPC data. In its place, a relative, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were being appointed as administrators.
Within the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the next morning, the Crete Highway premises have been cleared as well as the machinery was eradicated, As outlined by an affidavit by Meuwese. The products was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent in the Athlone industrial location, which housed several of Stemmet’s corporations as well as a new “minstrel museum”, As outlined by a leaked investigative report commissioned by the NLC. The investigator also photographed the tools at the new premises.
However, the meant new museum website, just like the old a single in Wetton, was effectively far from any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and site visitors could not entry it. There was no signage within the building indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s corporations vacated the premises earlier this yr after he fell sick.
The funding to determine a museum wasn't the only lottery grant the CTMCA been given. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC to begin with refused to expose who experienced been given Covid funding but lastly relented beneath media and parliamentary strain.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-income entities connected to Stemmet and his relatives and his associates involve R1.four-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Functions Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC once-a-year studies. Stemmet is really a previous director on the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is at this time a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which happens to be registered with the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road workplaces, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for just a “craft, woodwork and design and style programme”. Having said that, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC raised questions about fantastic stories related to earlier funding received 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 the to attorneys acting in the acquisition of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted like a conduit for a further R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a firm during which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, toward the purchase on the mansion. Zibsimanzi received R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer Event in Limpopo right after Letwaba Individually proposed that the grant be paid to his wife’s corporation.
GroundUp despatched questions to Stemmet by way of SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.