“Pot” Stemmet faces fees around theft of Lottery-funded products
“Pot” Stemmet faces fees around theft of Lottery-funded products
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed from the Countrywide Lotteries Fee to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned with the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution following devices paid for with resources from your Lottery was removed from a Cape Town constructing he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in court in January.
Based on a prosecutor the criminal fees could involve fraud, removing of kit that had been connected with the Sheriff and interfering by using a City of Cape City electrical power meter.
The costs stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside a civil courtroom matter, is seeking to Recuperate about R2.five-million in unpaid lease, desire, lawful prices and harm to a rented building in Crete Road, in the economic area of Wetton in Cape City.
The creating was Earlier the headquarters of the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and it is in which a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s centuries-outdated minstrel society was supposedly functioning.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution for theft and fraud after devices paid out for with Lottery money was faraway from a Cape City building.
Stemmet was arrested by the Specialised Business Criminal offense Device on 16 Oct 2024 and advised to seem inside the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket around the day though the matter wasn't put on the court roll because the investigating officer didn't supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in courtroom in January.
The criminal costs stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's looking for to Recuperate around R2.five-million in unpaid rent, interest, authorized expenditures and harm to a rented setting up in Crete Road, in the economic location of Wetton in Cape City.
The building was Earlier the headquarters on the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-aged minstrel culture was supposedly operating.
The premises also housed numerous corporations owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have referred to as a medication superior flier. Amid the businesses Stemmet ran with the premises ended up a hat producing company and a nightclub. Stemmet continues to be arrested numerous times for gun and drug-related offences and served time for armed robbery in the nineteen eighties.
In line with an SMS despatched to Meuwese because of the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in courtroom on thirty January 2025.
Although Stemmet is however to be introduced using a cost sheet, probable expenses, involve fraud, removing of kit that were hooked up from the Sheriff, and interfering that has a City of Cape Town electrical power meter, In line with an e mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the subject.
A grant of virtually R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was A part of more than R64-million in Lottery resources allotted on the CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - in excess of R54.3-million - paid in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 financial years, In keeping with Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) yearly experiences.
Stemmet was appointed a director in the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing หวย หุ้น ช่อง 9 วัน นี้ as two of numerous administrators in the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as a director in 2021.
In keeping with Meuwese, the creating was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed Company of which Stemmet was among the administrators. The company was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual House Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing yearly stories.
A completely new entity Using the identical name was subsequently registered as a private business, but with Stemmet no longer a director, according to CIPC documents. In its place, a loved one, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk have been appointed as directors.
Over the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the next early morning, the Crete Street premises were being cleared and the equipment was taken out, Based on an affidavit by Meuwese. The devices was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent within the Athlone industrial place, which housed several of Stemmet’s firms in addition to a new “minstrel museum”, In accordance with a leaked investigative report commissioned with the NLC. The investigator also photographed the devices at The brand new premises.
Having said that, the meant new museum web-site, such as outdated just one in Wetton, was very well faraway from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and people couldn't access it. There was no signage over the making indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s firms vacated the premises earlier this 12 months following he fell sick.
The funding to establish a museum was not the one lottery grant which the CTMCA obtained. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC to begin with refused to expose who experienced received Covid funding but last but not least relented underneath media and parliamentary tension.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-profit entities linked to Stemmet and his household and his associates include things like R1.four-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Gatherings Committee in 2019/twenty, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, In accordance with NLC annual experiences. Stemmet is usually a former director from the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at the moment a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which happens to be registered with the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/20, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 to get a “craft, woodwork and structure programme”. Nonetheless, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC raised questions about fantastic experiences associated with previously funding gained via the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding been given by the CTMCA.
Also under investigation is really a R1-million payment through the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn compensated R500,000 of the to attorneys performing in the acquisition of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted being 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, toward the purchase with the mansion. Zibsimanzi obtained R4.eight-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo just after Letwaba personally encouraged that the grant be paid to his wife’s enterprise.
GroundUp sent queries to Stemmet by means of SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.