“Pot” Stemmet faces charges over theft of Lottery-funded tools
“Pot” Stemmet faces charges over theft of Lottery-funded tools
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed with the Countrywide Lotteries Fee to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned via the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution soon after tools paid for with resources with the Lottery was removed from a Cape City constructing he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in courtroom in January.
In line with a prosecutor the prison fees could contain fraud, removing of equipment that had been connected by the Sheriff and interfering by using a Town of Cape City electrical energy meter.
The costs stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a civil court make a difference, is in search of to Get well around R2.five-million in unpaid lease, fascination, authorized fees and damage to a rented developing in Crete Highway, in the economic spot of Wetton in Cape Town.
The developing was Beforehand the headquarters with the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is also exactly where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s centuries-outdated minstrel society was supposedly operating.
Convicted criminal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution for theft and fraud soon after products paid out for with Lottery funds was faraway from a Cape Town making.
Stemmet was arrested with the Specialised Commercial Crime Unit on 16 Oct 2024 and instructed to appear from the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court about the working day however the issue was not placed on the court docket roll because the investigating officer didn't produce the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court docket in January.
The felony charges stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is trying to find to Get well about R2.5-million in unpaid hire, fascination, legal costs and damage to a rented developing in Crete Highway, in the industrial area of Wetton in Cape Town.
The building was Beforehand the headquarters of your Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s generations-old minstrel lifestyle was supposedly operating.
The premises also housed quite a few organizations owned by Stemmet, whom police have referred to as a medication large flier. Amid the businesses Stemmet ran from the premises have been a hat manufacturing organization as well as a nightclub. Stemmet has become arrested many instances for gun and drug-associated offences and served time for armed theft during the eighties.
In accordance with an SMS despatched to Meuwese via the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court docket on 30 January 2025.
Despite the fact that Stemmet is but to generally be presented that has a demand sheet, feasible fees, consist of fraud, elimination of kit that were hooked up through the Sheriff, and interfering with a City of Cape City electricity meter, In accordance with an e-mail despatched 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 money allotted on the CTMCA in between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - about R54.3-million - paid out during the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 fiscal years, In line with Countrywide Lotteries Fee (NLC) annual reviews.
Stemmet was appointed a director with the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ผล หวย หุ้น as two of numerous administrators from the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed to be a director in 2021.
As outlined by Meuwese, the developing was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was one of the directors. The business was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Residence Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing once-a-year experiences.
A new entity With all the identical name was subsequently registered as a private company, but with Stemmet no longer a director, according to CIPC documents. As a substitute, a loved one, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as administrators.
About the evening of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Highway premises have been cleared and the machinery was eradicated, As outlined by an affidavit by Meuwese. The gear was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent from 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 because of the NLC. The investigator also photographed the equipment at The brand new premises.
However, the meant new museum site, like the aged a person in Wetton, was perfectly faraway from any of Cape Town’s vacationer routes and people could not obtain it. There was no signage to the creating indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s companies vacated the premises previously this year immediately after he fell ill.
The funding to ascertain a museum wasn't the only lottery grant that the CTMCA gained. In 2021, the Affiliation was allotted R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC originally refused to expose who experienced been given Covid funding but lastly relented beneath media and parliamentary strain.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-income entities connected to Stemmet and his relatives and his associates involve R1.four-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Gatherings Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC yearly studies. Stemmet is actually a previous director on the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is now a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which happens to be registered with the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road workplaces, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for just a “craft, woodwork and design and style programme”. Having said that, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC raised questions about remarkable experiences associated with earlier funding obtained through the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed that the SIU is investigating the lottery funding obtained from the CTMCA.
Also below investigation is really a R1-million payment from the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently paid out R500,000 of this to legal professionals acting in the acquisition of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted for a conduit for a further R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a corporation through which the wife of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, towards the purchase of your mansion. Zibsimanzi acquired R4.eight-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo just after Letwaba personally advisable which the grant be compensated to his wife’s organization.
GroundUp sent issues to Stemmet via SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.