“Pot” Stemmet faces rates in excess of theft of Lottery-funded equipment
“Pot” Stemmet faces rates in excess of theft of Lottery-funded equipment
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed because of the National Lotteries Fee to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Picture from an investigative report commissioned via the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution following products paid out for with money through the Lottery was faraway from a Cape City creating he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court docket in January.
According to a prosecutor the felony prices could include fraud, elimination of equipment that had been hooked up through the Sheriff and interfering which has a City of Cape Town electric power meter.
The charges stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, within a civil courtroom subject, is looking for to Recuperate above R2.5-million in unpaid rent, curiosity, authorized costs and damage to a rented building in Crete Highway, in the commercial area of Wetton in Cape Town.
The making was previously the headquarters with the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) which is where by a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-previous minstrel culture was supposedly running.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution for theft and fraud immediately after products paid for with Lottery money was faraway from a Cape City constructing.
Stemmet was arrested from the Specialised Business Criminal offense Unit on 16 Oct 2024 and informed to appear inside the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom to the working day however the matter was not placed on the courtroom roll as the investigating officer didn't produce the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court in January.
The legal fees stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's in search of to Get better over R2.5-million in unpaid hire, fascination, legal costs and harm to a rented building in Crete Highway, in the economic area of Wetton in Cape Town.
The setting up was Earlier the headquarters on 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 superior flier. Among the companies Stemmet ran from your premises ended up a hat producing enterprise and a nightclub. Stemmet has been arrested several situations for gun and drug-linked offences and served time for armed robbery during the eighties.
In accordance with an SMS despatched to Meuwese through the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court on 30 January 2025.
Whilst Stemmet is but to generally be presented by using a demand sheet, possible expenses, include things like fraud, removing of kit that were hooked up by the Sheriff, and interfering having a City of Cape Town electrical energy meter, In accordance 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 part of much more than R64-million in Lottery cash allocated to your CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - around R54.3-million - compensated inside the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economical a long time, according to Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) once-a-year reports.
Stemmet was appointed a director in the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ตา ว จ หวย as two of a number of administrators from the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed to be a director in 2021.
In accordance with Meuwese, the setting up was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was considered one of the administrators. The organization was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual House Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing yearly studies.
A different entity While using the same identify was subsequently registered as A non-public firm, but with Stemmet no more a director, In line with CIPC information. Rather, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were being appointed as directors.
About the night of twelve April 2021 and into the next early morning, the Crete Street premises were cleared as well as machinery was taken off, In accordance with an affidavit by Meuwese. The machines was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent while in the Athlone industrial area, which housed numerous of Stemmet’s enterprises along with a new “minstrel museum”, In line with a leaked investigative report commissioned via the NLC. The investigator also photographed the equipment at the new premises.
Nevertheless, the supposed new museum site, like the aged a person in Wetton, was perfectly far from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and visitors couldn't obtain it. There was no signage around the creating indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s companies vacated the premises before this yr soon after he fell ill.
The funding to ascertain a museum wasn't the only lottery grant which the CTMCA obtained. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC in the beginning refused to reveal who had gained Covid funding but lastly relented below media and parliamentary force.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-gain entities linked to Stemmet and his loved ones and his associates involve R1.four-million with the Cape Cultural Carnival and Events Committee in 2019/twenty, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC once-a-year experiences. Stemmet is usually a previous director in the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is now a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, that is registered at the CTMCA’s former Crete Highway offices, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for your “craft, woodwork and style programme”. Having said that, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC elevated questions on outstanding reviews relevant to before funding been given by the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding received by the CTMCA.
Also under investigation is really a R1-million payment from the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn compensated R500,000 of the to lawyers acting in the acquisition of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted being a conduit for a further R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a corporation where the wife of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, towards the acquisition from the mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo after Letwaba personally encouraged that the grant be paid to his wife’s company.
GroundUp sent issues to Stemmet via SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.