“Pot” Stemmet faces prices over theft of Lottery-funded products
“Pot” Stemmet faces prices over theft of Lottery-funded products
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed with the National Lotteries Fee to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Picture from an investigative report commissioned by the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution following products paid out for with money with the Lottery was removed from a Cape Town setting up he rented.
Stemmet is to look in court docket in January.
Based on a prosecutor the legal fees could include fraud, removing of apparatus that had been hooked up because of the Sheriff and interfering that has a City of Cape City electric power meter.
The costs stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, within a civil courtroom matter, is in search of to Recuperate over R2.5-million in unpaid lease, desire, lawful fees and harm to a rented constructing in Crete Highway, in the commercial space of Wetton in Cape City.
The developing was previously the headquarters from the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is particularly where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-aged minstrel lifestyle was supposedly running.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud right after tools paid for with Lottery funds was faraway from a Cape Town creating.
Stemmet was arrested through the Specialised Commercial Criminal offense Device on 16 Oct 2024 and told to look from the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court on the day but the subject was not placed on the courtroom roll as the investigating officer didn't provide the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court docket in January.
The prison fees stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is seeking to Recuperate about R2.5-million in unpaid rent, interest, lawful costs and damage to a rented creating in Crete Road, in the industrial region of Wetton in Cape Town.
The developing was previously the headquarters of the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s centuries-outdated minstrel culture was supposedly working.
The premises also housed quite a few organizations owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a medication superior flier. Amongst the companies Stemmet ran from the premises were a hat manufacturing business plus a nightclub. Stemmet has actually been arrested many moments for gun and drug-connected offences and served time for armed robbery in 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.
Despite the fact that Stemmet is but to become offered having a cost sheet, possible expenses, involve fraud, removing of kit that were attached through the Sheriff, and interfering by using a Metropolis of Cape City electric power meter, In keeping with an electronic mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the issue.
A grant of almost R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was Element of much more than R64-million in Lottery resources allocated towards the CTMCA in between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of The cash - in excess of R54.3-million - compensated while in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economic many years, In accordance with Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) once-a-year studies.
Stemmet was appointed a director from the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ตรวจ as two of a number of administrators on the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed being a director in 2021.
In line with Meuwese, the developing was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed Company of which Stemmet was among the administrators. The company was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Home Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing annual reviews.
A whole new entity While using the same identify was subsequently registered as A personal corporation, but with Stemmet no more a director, In line with CIPC data. As an alternative, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were being appointed as administrators.
Around the night of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Street premises were cleared plus the machinery was taken off, Based on an affidavit by Meuwese. The machines was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent inside the Athlone industrial place, which housed several of Stemmet’s firms in addition to a new “minstrel museum”, Based on a leaked investigative report commissioned with the NLC. The investigator also photographed the products at the new premises.
Even so, the intended new museum web site, much like the previous a single in Wetton, was properly far from any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and site visitors couldn't obtain it. There was no signage about the developing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s businesses vacated the premises previously this calendar year immediately after he fell ill.
The funding to ascertain a museum wasn't the only lottery grant the CTMCA gained. In 2021, the association was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC at first refused to reveal who had gained Covid funding but ultimately relented less than media and parliamentary stress.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-income entities associated with Stemmet and his family members and his associates incorporate R1.4-million for your Cape Cultural Carnival and Occasions Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, In line with NLC once-a-year stories. Stemmet is a former director with the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is currently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, that's registered in the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road workplaces, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 to get a “craft, woodwork and structure programme”. Even so, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC elevated questions about superb reports relevant to before funding been given from the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed 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 lawyers performing in the purchase 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 company in which the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in direction of the purchase with the mansion. Zibsimanzi obtained R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo following Letwaba personally proposed that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s company.
GroundUp sent inquiries to Stemmet by using SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.