“Pot” Stemmet faces fees over theft of Lottery-funded tools
“Pot” Stemmet faces fees over theft of Lottery-funded tools
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed by the Nationwide Lotteries Fee to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned via the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution following devices compensated for with funds through the Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town creating he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court docket in January.
According to a prosecutor the prison prices could involve fraud, elimination of kit that were hooked up with the Sheriff and interfering using a Town of Cape Town electricity meter.
The fees stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside a civil court docket subject, is trying to find to recover in excess of R2.five-million in unpaid hire, interest, legal fees and harm to a rented setting up in Crete Road, in the industrial location of Wetton in Cape Town.
The developing was previously the headquarters in the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is particularly wherever a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s hundreds of years-old minstrel society was supposedly functioning.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution for theft and fraud just after devices paid for with Lottery resources was removed from a Cape City constructing.
Stemmet was arrested from the Specialised Business Criminal offense Unit on 16 Oct 2024 and told to seem in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court over the working day although the make any difference wasn't put on the court docket roll as the investigating officer didn't deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket in January.
The prison charges stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that's looking for to recover more than R2.five-million in unpaid rent, interest, lawful charges and harm to a rented setting up in Crete Street, in the industrial space of Wetton in Cape Town.
The setting up was Beforehand the headquarters with the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s centuries-outdated minstrel culture was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed numerous businesses owned by Stemmet, whom police have called a medicine higher flier. Amid the companies Stemmet ran in the premises ended up a hat producing company as well as a nightclub. Stemmet has actually been arrested several times for gun and drug-related offences and served time for armed theft from the eighties.
As outlined by an SMS sent to Meuwese through the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket on thirty January 2025.
Despite the fact that Stemmet is but for being introduced which has a cost sheet, possible fees, contain fraud, removing of kit that had been connected from the Sheriff, and interfering that has a Town of Cape Town electrical energy meter, In keeping with an e-mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor dealing with the subject.
A grant of just about R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was Component of greater than R64-million in Lottery funds allotted into the CTMCA concerning 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of The cash - in excess of R54.3-million - compensated while in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 monetary decades, In keeping with Nationwide Lotteries Commission (NLC) yearly reviews.
Stemmet was appointed a director of 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 a number of administrators in the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as being a director in 2021.
According to Meuwese, the making was leased to Stalph 164, a close corporation of which Stemmet was amongst the directors. The corporation was deregistered by the Companies and Mental Assets Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting yearly studies.
A new entity With all the similar identify was subsequently registered as A personal company, but with Stemmet not a director, As outlined by CIPC data. Rather, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk have been appointed as directors.
About the evening of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Highway premises were being cleared and the machinery was removed, according to an affidavit by Meuwese. The devices was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent inside the Athlone industrial place, which housed a number of of Stemmet’s corporations and a new “minstrel museum”, As outlined by a leaked investigative report commissioned by the NLC. The investigator also photographed the tools at The brand new premises.
However, the supposed new museum web site, much like the previous just one in Wetton, was perfectly clear of any of Cape City’s tourist routes and people could not entry it. There was no signage over the making indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s corporations vacated the premises previously this year after he fell unwell.
The funding to establish a museum wasn't the only lottery grant which the CTMCA acquired. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC at first refused to expose who experienced acquired Covid funding but ultimately relented under media and parliamentary strain.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-profit entities linked to Stemmet and his spouse and children and his associates contain R1.4-million for your Cape Cultural Carnival and Functions Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, In accordance with NLC annual reviews. Stemmet is really a previous director with the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is presently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which is registered at the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for a “craft, woodwork and style and design programme”. Nonetheless, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC elevated questions on superb reviews connected with before funding been given from the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained by the CTMCA.
Also under investigation is often a R1-million payment via the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently compensated R500,000 of this to lawyers performing in the acquisition of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted as being a conduit for a further R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a corporation wherein the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, toward the purchase of the mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo after Letwaba personally recommended which the grant be compensated to his wife’s enterprise.
GroundUp sent inquiries to Stemmet by way of SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.