“Pot” Stemmet faces charges above theft of Lottery-funded machines
“Pot” Stemmet faces charges above theft of Lottery-funded machines
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed through the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned by the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution following machines paid for with funds from your Lottery was removed from a Cape City developing he rented.
Stemmet is to look in court docket in January.
According to a prosecutor the prison fees could contain fraud, removing of equipment that had been attached with the Sheriff and interfering having a Town of Cape Town electrical power meter.
The fees stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a very civil court docket matter, is in search of to Get well around R2.five-million in unpaid hire, interest, legal fees and damage to a rented creating in Crete Road, in the industrial spot of Wetton in Cape Town.
The making was Earlier the headquarters with the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is also exactly where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-aged minstrel tradition was supposedly functioning.
Convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution for theft and fraud following devices compensated for with Lottery funds was removed from a Cape Town making.
Stemmet was arrested by the Specialised Industrial Crime Unit on 16 October 2024 and informed to seem while in the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court around the day however the matter wasn't placed on the court roll as the investigating officer didn't provide the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom in January.
The criminal rates stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is searching for to recover about R2.5-million in unpaid hire, curiosity, lawful charges and harm to a rented creating in Crete Highway, in the commercial location of Wetton in Cape Town.
The setting up was Beforehand the headquarters of the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-aged minstrel tradition was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed many companies owned by Stemmet, whom police have described as a medicine high flier. Amongst the businesses Stemmet ran through the premises ended up a hat production business along with a nightclub. Stemmet continues to be arrested quite a few periods for gun and drug-connected offences and served time for armed theft while in the nineteen eighties.
In keeping with an SMS sent to Meuwese by the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court docket on 30 January 2025.
While Stemmet is yet to get introduced having a cost sheet, doable charges, contain fraud, elimination of apparatus that were hooked up from the Sheriff, and interfering using a Metropolis of Cape Town electric power meter, In keeping with an email sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the make a difference.
A grant of virtually R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was A part of a lot more than R64-million in Lottery funds allotted for the CTMCA between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - around R54.3-million - paid within the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 monetary years, As outlined by 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 ผล หวย ลาว วัน นี้ as two of numerous directors of your organisation. Stemmet was reappointed like a director in 2021.
Based on Meuwese, the developing was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was among the administrators. The corporate was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Home Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing yearly reports.
A new entity Together with the exact identify was subsequently registered as A personal business, but with Stemmet no longer a director, In keeping with CIPC documents. Alternatively, a relative, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were appointed as administrators.
Over the night of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent early morning, the Crete Road premises were being cleared as well as the equipment was eliminated, In accordance with an affidavit by Meuwese. The equipment was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent during the Athlone industrial location, which housed quite a few of Stemmet’s firms and a new “minstrel museum”, In line with a leaked investigative report commissioned through the NLC. The investigator also photographed the machines at The brand new premises.
Even so, the meant new museum site, such as the previous just one in Wetton, was well away from any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and people couldn't accessibility it. There was no signage within the constructing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s firms vacated the premises earlier this 12 months immediately after he fell ill.
The funding to determine a museum was not the only lottery grant which the CTMCA been given. In 2021, the association was allocated R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC at first refused to reveal who experienced obtained Covid funding but at last relented underneath media and parliamentary stress.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-income entities linked to Stemmet and his family members and his associates consist of R1.4-million with the Cape Cultural Carnival and Occasions Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, As outlined by NLC yearly stories. Stemmet is usually a former director in the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is now a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, that is registered at the CTMCA’s previous Crete Street offices, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 for your “craft, woodwork and style and design programme”. On the other hand, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC raised questions on exceptional experiences connected with before funding obtained by the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that 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 paid R500,000 of the to legal professionals acting in the purchase of the 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 where the wife of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in direction of the acquisition with the mansion. Zibsimanzi been given R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Event in Limpopo after Letwaba personally recommended the grant be paid to his wife’s company.
GroundUp sent issues to Stemmet by way of SMS but he had not replied by the point of publication.