“Pot” Stemmet faces fees in excess of theft of Lottery-funded gear
“Pot” Stemmet faces fees in excess of theft of Lottery-funded gear
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed via the Nationwide Lotteries Commission to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned with the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution after equipment compensated for with cash through the Lottery was removed from a Cape City constructing he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in courtroom in January.
As outlined by a prosecutor the legal costs could include fraud, elimination of kit that had been connected via the Sheriff and interfering by using a Town of Cape Town electric power meter.
The fees stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in the civil courtroom make any difference, is searching for to Get well about R2.five-million in unpaid lease, fascination, authorized charges and damage to a rented constructing in Crete Street, in the industrial area of Wetton in Cape City.
The making was Earlier the headquarters in the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is also in which a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-old minstrel lifestyle was supposedly operating.
Convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution for theft and fraud just after products compensated for with Lottery money was removed from a Cape City building.
Stemmet was arrested through the Specialised Business Criminal offense Device on 16 October 2024 and informed to appear while in the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket over the working day however the make a difference was not put on the court docket roll since the investigating officer did not deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom in January.
The legal costs stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is seeking to Get well above R2.five-million in unpaid lease, desire, legal prices and damage to a rented setting up in Crete Street, in the economic region of Wetton in Cape City.
The building was Formerly the headquarters of the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s centuries-old minstrel tradition was supposedly running.
The premises also housed quite a few companies owned by Stemmet, whom police have described as a medicines large flier. Between the companies Stemmet ran through the premises have been a hat manufacturing organization as well as a nightclub. Stemmet is arrested numerous occasions for gun and drug-related offences and served time for armed theft inside the nineteen eighties.
As outlined by an SMS sent to Meuwese because of the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in courtroom on thirty January 2025.
Even though Stemmet is still to become offered with a charge sheet, attainable rates, consist of fraud, elimination of apparatus that had been connected because of the Sheriff, and interfering that has a Town of Cape City electric power meter, In keeping with an electronic mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the make a difference.
A grant of almost R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was Element of much more than R64-million in Lottery cash allocated into the CTMCA involving 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - more than R54.three-million - paid from the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 monetary decades, In line with Countrywide Lotteries Commission (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 continued ตรวจ รางวัล as two of quite a few directors of the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed being a director in 2021.
Based on Meuwese, the making was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was considered one of the administrators. The business was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Assets Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing 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. As a substitute, a loved one, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as administrators.
To the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Road premises ended up cleared as well as the equipment was eliminated, according to an affidavit by Meuwese. The products was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent within the Athlone industrial place, which housed several of Stemmet’s firms in addition to 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 supposed new museum site, just like the old 1 in Wetton, was nicely far from any of Cape City’s tourist routes and site visitors couldn't entry it. There was no signage within the developing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s businesses vacated the premises previously this year immediately after he fell ill.
The funding to ascertain a museum wasn't the sole lottery grant which the CTMCA received. In 2021, the association was allotted R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC originally refused to expose who experienced been given Covid funding but ultimately relented underneath media and parliamentary tension.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-profit entities linked to Stemmet and his household and his associates include things like R1.four-million to the Cape Cultural Carnival and Functions Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, In accordance with NLC annual experiences. Stemmet is usually a former director in the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at this time a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which is registered for the CTMCA’s former Crete Street places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for the “craft, woodwork and style programme”. On the other hand, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC elevated questions on outstanding reviews relevant to before funding been given by the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding received from the CTMCA.
Also below investigation is actually a R1-million payment through the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn paid 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 as being a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a firm through which the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in the direction of the acquisition on the mansion. Zibsimanzi obtained R4.eight-million to phase a rural soccer Match in Limpopo just after Letwaba personally encouraged that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s company.
GroundUp sent questions to Stemmet by means of SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.