“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses about theft of Lottery-funded tools
“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses about theft of Lottery-funded tools
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed through the Countrywide Lotteries Commission to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Picture from an investigative report commissioned via the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution after tools paid for with money with the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town building he rented.
Stemmet is to look in courtroom in January.
In keeping with a prosecutor the felony expenses could contain fraud, removal of apparatus that were attached via the Sheriff and interfering by using a Town of Cape Town electric power meter.
The charges stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a civil court make any difference, is searching for to Get well around R2.5-million in unpaid rent, interest, legal fees and damage to a rented making in Crete Highway, in the economic spot of Wetton in Cape Town.
The creating was Formerly the headquarters in the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) which is in which a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s generations-aged minstrel lifestyle was supposedly working.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution for theft and fraud right after gear paid out for with Lottery resources was removed from a Cape Town developing.
Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Industrial Crime Unit on sixteen Oct 2024 and advised to look in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket within the working day although the issue wasn't placed on the court docket roll because the investigating officer did not provide the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court docket in January.
The prison costs stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's in search of to Get well in excess of R2.5-million in unpaid hire, curiosity, lawful expenditures and damage to a rented setting up in Crete Street, in the economic place of Wetton in Cape Town.
The constructing was Beforehand the headquarters in the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-previous minstrel lifestyle was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed several firms owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a prescription drugs high flier. Amongst the companies Stemmet ran from the premises were a hat producing enterprise in addition to a nightclub. Stemmet has long been arrested various moments for gun and drug-associated offences and served time for armed theft inside the nineteen eighties.
In keeping with an SMS sent to Meuwese via the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in courtroom on thirty January 2025.
Though Stemmet is nonetheless for being offered which has a charge sheet, attainable prices, include fraud, removal of equipment that had been hooked up by the Sheriff, and interfering having a City of Cape Town electricity meter, Based on an email despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the issue.
A grant of almost R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was Component of in excess of R64-million in Lottery funds allotted for the CTMCA in between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of The cash - in excess of R54.three-million - paid during the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 fiscal years, In line with Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) annual studies.
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 a number of administrators from the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed for a director in 2021.
In line with Meuwese, the building was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth corporation of which Stemmet was amongst the directors. The organization was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Residence Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing yearly stories.
A new entity Using the identical name was subsequently registered as a private company, but with Stemmet now not a director, In keeping with CIPC data. Alternatively, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were appointed as administrators.
Within the night of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent early morning, the Crete Street premises had been cleared along with the machinery was removed, according to an affidavit by Meuwese. The machines was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent from the Athlone industrial region, which housed a number of of Stemmet’s businesses and also a new “minstrel museum”, In accordance with a leaked investigative report commissioned via the NLC. The investigator also photographed the tools at The brand new premises.
Having said that, the meant new museum web site, similar to the outdated one in Wetton, was nicely from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and visitors couldn't accessibility it. There was no signage about the making indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s firms vacated the premises earlier this year after he fell sick.
The funding to establish a museum wasn't the sole lottery grant which the CTMCA obtained. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC originally refused to expose who experienced received Covid funding but at last relented beneath media and parliamentary tension.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-revenue entities connected to Stemmet and his spouse and children and his associates incorporate R1.four-million with the Cape Cultural Carnival and Occasions Committee in 2019/20, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, Based on NLC annual reports. Stemmet is actually a former director of the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at present a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, that is registered in the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for a “craft, woodwork and design programme”. On the other hand, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC lifted questions on exceptional experiences linked to previously funding gained by the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding obtained with the CTMCA.
Also underneath investigation is often a R1-million payment via the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently compensated 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 for a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a business during which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, to the purchase from the mansion. Zibsimanzi been given R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer Event in Limpopo immediately after Letwaba personally encouraged that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s company.
GroundUp sent thoughts to Stemmet by way of SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.