“Pot” Stemmet faces costs over theft of Lottery-funded tools
“Pot” Stemmet faces costs over theft of Lottery-funded tools
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed with the Countrywide Lotteries Commission to investigate 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 through the Lottery was removed from a Cape City making he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court in January.
According to a prosecutor the felony expenses could incorporate fraud, elimination of kit that had been hooked up via the Sheriff and interfering having a City of Cape City electric power meter.
The costs stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside a civil court docket make a difference, is in search of to Get better more than R2.5-million in unpaid rent, curiosity, legal fees and damage to a rented creating in Crete Road, in the industrial region of Wetton in Cape Town.
The building was previously the headquarters from the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is also the place a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s generations-outdated minstrel culture was supposedly functioning.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud immediately after tools compensated for with Lottery funds was removed from a Cape City building.
Stemmet was arrested with the Specialised Professional Crime Unit on 16 October 2024 and instructed to appear inside the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket around the day nevertheless the subject was not placed on the court roll as the investigating officer didn't provide the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket in January.
The prison rates stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is trying to get to Get well about R2.five-million in unpaid lease, fascination, authorized fees and harm to a rented constructing in Crete Road, in the industrial space of Wetton in Cape City.
The creating was previously the headquarters with the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s generations-outdated minstrel tradition was supposedly working.
The premises also housed many companies owned by Stemmet, whom police have called a prescription drugs substantial flier. Among the the companies Stemmet ran from your premises ended up a hat producing corporation and a nightclub. Stemmet is arrested numerous moments for gun and drug-similar offences and served time for armed robbery while in the eighties.
According to an SMS despatched to Meuwese through the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in courtroom on 30 January 2025.
Though Stemmet is still to generally be offered having a charge sheet, feasible expenses, consist of fraud, removing of equipment that had been connected by the Sheriff, and interfering which has a City of Cape Town energy meter, As outlined by an electronic mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the make a difference.
A grant of just about R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was Component of much more than R64-million in Lottery resources allocated for the CTMCA among 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of the money - more than R54.three-million - paid during the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 fiscal years, In keeping with National Lotteries Commission (NLC) yearly experiences.
Stemmet was appointed a director in the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing หวย วัน นี้ as two of various directors with the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed like a director in 2021.
According to Meuwese, the constructing was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed Company of which Stemmet was certainly one of the directors. The corporate was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Assets Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing once-a-year experiences.
A new entity With all 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 next morning, the Crete Street premises were being cleared along with the equipment was taken out, according to an affidavit by Meuwese. The products was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent in the Athlone industrial location, which housed various of Stemmet’s businesses as well as a new “minstrel museum”, As outlined by a leaked investigative report commissioned by the NLC. The investigator also photographed the gear at the new premises.
However, the meant new museum web page, like the aged a person in Wetton, was very well from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and site visitors could not entry it. There was no signage about the creating indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s businesses vacated the premises previously this year soon after he fell unwell.
The funding to establish a museum wasn't the only real lottery grant that the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC originally 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 associated with Stemmet and his spouse and children and his associates include R1.four-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Gatherings Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC once-a-year stories. Stemmet is actually a former director with the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is currently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, that is registered within the CTMCA’s former Crete Street places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/20, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 for any “craft, woodwork and structure programme”. Nonetheless, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC lifted questions on outstanding reviews relevant to before funding gained via the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained because of the CTMCA.
Also underneath investigation is often a R1-million payment because of the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid 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, to the purchase with the mansion. Zibsimanzi obtained R4.eight-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo soon after Letwaba Individually suggested the grant be paid out to his spouse’s enterprise.
GroundUp sent queries to Stemmet by means of SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.