“Pot” Stemmet faces fees around theft of Lottery-funded tools
“Pot” Stemmet faces fees around theft of Lottery-funded tools
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed by the Nationwide Lotteries Commission to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned because of the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is struggling with prosecution right after gear paid for with cash in the Lottery was faraway from a Cape City making he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in courtroom in January.
Based on a prosecutor the legal prices could consist of fraud, removal of kit that had been hooked up with the Sheriff and interfering using a Town of Cape Town energy meter.
The charges stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a civil courtroom make any difference, is in search of to recover about R2.5-million in unpaid lease, interest, legal expenditures and harm to a rented developing in Crete Street, in the commercial place of Wetton in Cape City.
The making was Beforehand the headquarters of the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is also the place a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-aged minstrel culture was supposedly working.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud just after machines paid out for with Lottery cash was removed from a Cape Town developing.
Stemmet was arrested through the Specialised Industrial Crime Device on sixteen October 2024 and explained to to seem inside the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom on the day but the issue wasn't put on the court docket roll as the investigating officer didn't supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court docket in January.
The felony rates stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's in search of to recover above R2.five-million in unpaid lease, interest, authorized expenses and damage to a rented building in Crete Highway, in the commercial region of Wetton in Cape City.
The building was Beforehand the headquarters in the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-old minstrel lifestyle was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed a number of corporations owned by Stemmet, whom police have described as a drugs substantial flier. Among the the businesses Stemmet ran in the premises had been a hat manufacturing firm and also a nightclub. Stemmet has actually been arrested quite a few periods for gun and drug-relevant offences and served time for armed robbery in the 1980s.
In accordance with an SMS sent to Meuwese with the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court on thirty January 2025.
Despite the fact that Stemmet is however for being introduced by using a charge sheet, doable charges, include things like fraud, removing of kit that were attached from the Sheriff, and interfering by using a Metropolis of Cape Town energy meter, Based on an email sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the make a difference.
A grant of virtually R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was A part of greater than R64-million in Lottery funds allotted on the CTMCA among 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - above R54.three-million - paid in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economical several years, according to Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) annual studies.
Stemmet was appointed a director of your CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued ตรวจ ล้อ ต เต อ รี่ as two of quite a few directors of the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed for a director in 2021.
In line with Meuwese, the building was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was one of the directors. The corporate was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Property Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting annual studies.
A different entity with the same identify was subsequently registered as A personal corporation, but with Stemmet no more a director, As outlined by CIPC data. Alternatively, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were appointed as administrators.
Within the night of 12 April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Road premises ended up cleared along with the equipment was taken out, according to an affidavit by Meuwese. The products was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent in the Athlone industrial spot, which housed quite a few of Stemmet’s companies and also a new “minstrel museum”, according to a leaked investigative report commissioned through the NLC. The investigator also photographed the tools at the new premises.
Even so, the intended new museum internet site, much like the outdated one particular in Wetton, was properly far from any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and site visitors could not obtain it. There was no signage about the developing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s businesses vacated the premises previously this year just after he fell unwell.
The funding to establish a museum wasn't the sole lottery grant the CTMCA gained. In 2021, the association was allocated R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC at first refused to expose who experienced acquired Covid funding but ultimately relented beneath media and parliamentary pressure.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-financial gain entities associated with Stemmet and his loved ones and his associates involve R1.four-million with the Cape Cultural Carnival and Occasions Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, In keeping with NLC once-a-year reports. Stemmet is a former director with the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is at the moment a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which happens to be registered for the CTMCA’s former Crete Highway offices, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 to get a “craft, woodwork and structure programme”. On the other hand, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC elevated questions about fantastic reports connected with before funding been given from the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding received through the CTMCA.
Also less than investigation can be a R1-million payment via the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn paid R500,000 of the to legal professionals performing in the acquisition of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted like a conduit for a further R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, an organization during which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in the direction of the acquisition on the mansion. Zibsimanzi obtained R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo following Letwaba Individually suggested the grant be compensated to his spouse’s firm.
GroundUp despatched concerns to Stemmet through SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.