“Pot” Stemmet faces charges more than theft of Lottery-funded devices
“Pot” Stemmet faces charges more than theft of Lottery-funded devices
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed with the National Lotteries Fee to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned because of the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution just after tools paid out for with cash from the Lottery was faraway from a Cape City developing he rented.
Stemmet is to look in court docket in January.
According to a prosecutor the criminal costs could incorporate fraud, elimination of equipment that were connected via the Sheriff and interfering with a Town of Cape Town electrical energy meter.
The fees stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in the civil court docket issue, is looking for to Get well above R2.five-million in unpaid hire, desire, lawful expenses and damage to a rented creating in Crete Street, in the commercial spot of Wetton in Cape Town.
The creating was Formerly the headquarters in the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is particularly where by a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-outdated minstrel tradition was supposedly working.
Convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution for theft and fraud right after equipment compensated for with Lottery cash was removed from a Cape Town creating.
Stemmet was arrested because of the Specialised Commercial Crime Unit on 16 Oct 2024 and instructed to appear inside the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom to the day though the issue wasn't put on the court roll because the investigating officer didn't deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court docket in January.
The prison expenses stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's in search of to recover in excess of R2.five-million in unpaid hire, interest, legal expenses and damage to a rented setting up in Crete Highway, in the industrial region of Wetton in Cape City.
The building was previously the headquarters of your Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-aged minstrel lifestyle was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed various enterprises owned by Stemmet, whom police have called a medicines high flier. Amid the businesses Stemmet ran from the premises were a hat production enterprise as well as a nightclub. Stemmet has long been arrested many situations for gun and drug-related offences and served time for armed theft within the 1980s.
As outlined by an SMS despatched to Meuwese because of the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court on thirty January 2025.
Even though Stemmet is still to be introduced that has a charge sheet, feasible expenses, contain fraud, removal of kit that were hooked up via the Sheriff, and interfering by using a Town of Cape Town electrical energy meter, according to an electronic mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the make any difference.
A grant of almost R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was part of a lot more than R64-million in Lottery resources allocated for the CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of the money - above R54.3-million - compensated within the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 financial decades, As outlined by National Lotteries Fee (NLC) annual stories.
Stemmet was appointed a director in the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing หวย ออก as two of quite a few directors from the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as a director in 2021.
In keeping with Meuwese, the constructing was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed corporation of which Stemmet was amongst the directors. The corporate was deregistered by the businesses and Intellectual House Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing annual reviews.
A different entity with the exact same name was subsequently registered as a private company, but with Stemmet no longer a director, Based on CIPC records. Rather, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were being appointed as administrators.
Over the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the next morning, the Crete Street premises had been cleared and also the equipment was taken off, As outlined by an affidavit by Meuwese. The tools was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent within the Athlone industrial area, which housed quite a few of Stemmet’s firms along with a new “minstrel museum”, In keeping with a leaked investigative report commissioned because of the NLC. The investigator also photographed the equipment at the new premises.
Even so, the intended new museum web-site, like the old one particular in Wetton, was well away from any of Cape City’s tourist routes and people couldn't accessibility it. There was no signage around the building indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s businesses vacated the premises previously this year immediately after he fell ill.
The funding to determine a museum was not the sole lottery grant which the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC to begin with refused to reveal who had acquired Covid funding but at last relented under media and parliamentary stress.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-earnings entities connected to Stemmet and his relatives and his associates involve R1.four-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Gatherings Committee in 2019/twenty, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, Based on NLC once-a-year experiences. Stemmet is often a former director of the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is presently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, which can be registered at the CTMCA’s previous Crete Highway offices, was allotted 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 seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC raised questions about fantastic experiences associated with previously funding acquired because of the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified the SIU is investigating the lottery funding acquired with the CTMCA.
Also underneath investigation is usually a R1-million payment via the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently paid out R500,000 of this to legal professionals acting in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted to be a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, an organization by which the spouse of previous 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 soon after Letwaba Individually suggested the grant be compensated to his spouse’s business.
GroundUp despatched thoughts to Stemmet by way of SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.