“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses more than theft of Lottery-funded tools
“Pot” Stemmet faces expenses more than theft of Lottery-funded tools
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed via the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned because of the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution immediately after devices paid out for with funds from your Lottery was removed from a Cape City developing he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court docket in January.
According to a prosecutor the prison fees could contain fraud, removal of apparatus that were connected by the Sheriff and interfering which has a Metropolis of Cape City electrical power meter.
The fees stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a very civil court issue, is seeking to recover about R2.5-million in unpaid hire, curiosity, authorized expenses and harm to a rented creating in Crete Street, in the economic place of Wetton in Cape City.
The building was Formerly the headquarters with the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and it is wherever a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-old minstrel tradition was supposedly operating.
Convicted felony Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution for theft and fraud immediately after gear paid out for with Lottery resources was removed from a Cape Town building.
Stemmet was arrested by the Specialised Professional Crime Device on 16 Oct 2024 and explained to to look during the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket to the working day nevertheless the make a difference wasn't placed on the courtroom roll because the investigating officer did not supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in courtroom in January.
The prison fees stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's trying to get to Recuperate about R2.five-million in unpaid lease, desire, legal fees and damage to a rented constructing in Crete Road, in the industrial spot of Wetton in Cape Town.
The constructing was Earlier the headquarters on the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s generations-outdated minstrel tradition was supposedly operating.
The premises also housed several enterprises owned by Stemmet, whom police have called a medicines higher flier. Among the businesses Stemmet ran from the premises have been a hat production enterprise plus a nightclub. Stemmet has been arrested a number of instances for gun and drug-linked offences and served time for armed theft during the nineteen eighties.
In accordance with an SMS despatched to Meuwese because of the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court docket on thirty January 2025.
Whilst Stemmet is but to become introduced which has a cost sheet, attainable costs, include fraud, elimination of kit that had been hooked up because of the Sheriff, and interfering by using a City of Cape City electrical energy meter, Based on an e mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the issue.
A grant of virtually R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was A part of in excess of R64-million in Lottery resources allotted towards the CTMCA among 2003 and 2017, with the majority of The cash - in excess of R54.3-million - paid inside the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economic several years, As outlined by Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) annual experiences.
Stemmet was appointed a director with 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 on the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed like a director in 2021.
As outlined by Meuwese, the constructing was leased to Stalph 164, a close Company of which Stemmet was considered one of the directors. The corporation was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Property Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing once-a-year studies.
A brand new entity with the identical identify was subsequently registered as A personal organization, but with Stemmet no more a director, In keeping with CIPC records. As an alternative, a relative, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were appointed as directors.
About the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Highway premises were cleared and the equipment was removed, according to an affidavit by Meuwese. The machines was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent during the Athlone industrial place, which housed various of Stemmet’s corporations and also a new “minstrel museum”, In line with a leaked investigative report commissioned by the NLC. The investigator also photographed the tools at the new premises.
Nevertheless, the intended new museum web page, much like the aged a single in Wetton, was perfectly clear of any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and readers couldn't entry it. There was no signage to the building indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s businesses vacated the premises previously this yr after he fell sick.
The funding to establish a museum wasn't the sole lottery grant which the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the association was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC at first refused to expose who had been given Covid funding but eventually relented under media and parliamentary strain.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-earnings entities connected to Stemmet and his family members and his associates include things like R1.four-million for the Cape Cultural Carnival and Functions Committee in 2019/twenty, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC once-a-year reports. Stemmet is actually a former director in the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is currently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which happens to be registered within the CTMCA’s former Crete Road workplaces, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for any “craft, woodwork and style programme”. Nevertheless, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC elevated questions on exceptional reports connected with before funding received with the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding obtained with the CTMCA.
Also underneath investigation is a R1-million payment through the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid out R500,000 of this to attorneys acting in the acquisition of a 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 company in which the spouse of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, toward the purchase of your mansion. Zibsimanzi acquired R4.8-million to stage a rural soccer Event in Limpopo soon after Letwaba Individually advisable which the grant be paid to his wife’s enterprise.
GroundUp sent queries to Stemmet by using SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.