“Pot” Stemmet faces costs above theft of Lottery-funded devices
“Pot” Stemmet faces costs above theft of Lottery-funded devices
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed from the Countrywide Lotteries Fee to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned through the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution following gear compensated for with cash with the Lottery was removed from a Cape City setting up he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court docket in January.
According to a prosecutor the felony expenses could consist of fraud, elimination of kit that had been connected via the Sheriff and interfering using a Town of Cape City electrical energy meter.
The costs stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in the civil court docket matter, is searching for to Get well about R2.five-million in unpaid lease, curiosity, authorized fees and damage to a rented constructing in Crete Street, in the commercial region of Wetton in Cape City.
The setting up was Earlier the headquarters in the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is also exactly where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-old minstrel lifestyle was supposedly working.
Convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution for theft and fraud just after products compensated for with Lottery funds was removed from a Cape City building.
Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Industrial Criminal offense Device on 16 October 2024 and told to seem from the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court within the day although the make a difference was not placed on the courtroom roll since the investigating officer did not provide the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court in January.
The prison charges stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is trying to find to Get well around R2.5-million in unpaid lease, curiosity, legal charges and damage to a rented creating in Crete Highway, in the economic spot of Wetton in Cape Town.
The setting up was previously the headquarters with the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s centuries-old minstrel culture was supposedly operating.
The premises also housed quite a few corporations owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have referred to as a medicines higher flier. Between the businesses Stemmet ran within the premises had been a hat manufacturing organization plus a nightclub. Stemmet has been arrested numerous periods for gun and drug-similar offences and served time for armed theft during the eighties.
In accordance with an SMS despatched to Meuwese because of the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket on 30 January 2025.
Though Stemmet is yet being presented by using a demand sheet, feasible prices, contain fraud, elimination of apparatus that were hooked up from the Sheriff, and interfering that has a Town of Cape City energy meter, In accordance with an e-mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the make any difference.
A grant of almost R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was Section of over R64-million in Lottery money allocated on the CTMCA concerning 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - about R54.3-million - compensated from the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 fiscal many years, Based on Countrywide Lotteries Fee (NLC) annual experiences.
Stemmet was appointed a director from the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ตรวจ หวย ลาว as two of several administrators in the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as a director in 2021.
Based on Meuwese, the building was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was one among the directors. The corporate was deregistered by the Companies and Mental Property Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing annual studies.
A fresh entity While using the exact same title was subsequently registered as A personal business, but with Stemmet no longer a director, As outlined by CIPC records. Alternatively, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk ended up appointed as administrators.
On the night of twelve April 2021 and into the next early morning, the Crete Street premises ended up cleared as well as equipment was eradicated, In keeping with an affidavit by Meuwese. The machines was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent from the Athlone industrial location, which housed several of Stemmet’s enterprises plus a new “minstrel museum”, according to a leaked investigative report commissioned because of the NLC. The investigator also photographed the tools at The brand new premises.
Even so, the intended new museum web page, just like the old one particular in Wetton, was perfectly far from any of Cape Town’s tourist routes and guests could not access it. There was no signage around the creating indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s organizations vacated the premises previously this year just after he fell sick.
The funding to ascertain a museum was not the one lottery grant that the CTMCA received. In 2021, the association was allotted R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC in the beginning refused to reveal who had been given Covid funding but last but not least relented under media and parliamentary stress.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-financial gain entities associated with Stemmet and his family members and his associates incorporate R1.4-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Situations Committee in 2019/twenty, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, In keeping with NLC once-a-year stories. Stemmet is usually a previous director in the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is currently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, which can be registered on the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road offices, was allocated 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 seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC elevated questions on exceptional experiences linked to previously funding been given through the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed the SIU is investigating the lottery funding acquired because of the CTMCA.
Also less than investigation is a R1-million payment from the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn compensated R500,000 of the to legal professionals acting in the purchase of the 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 by which the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in direction of the purchase of your mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo after Letwaba personally recommended the grant be compensated to his wife’s corporation.
GroundUp despatched queries to Stemmet by using SMS but he experienced not replied by the time of publication.