“Pot” Stemmet faces rates more than theft of Lottery-funded products
“Pot” Stemmet faces rates more than theft of Lottery-funded products
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, left, and an investigator appointed via the National Lotteries Commission to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned by the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution after tools compensated for with funds from your Lottery was removed from a Cape Town creating he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court in January.
Based on a prosecutor the prison rates could include fraud, removing of apparatus that were connected via the Sheriff and interfering by using a City of Cape Town electrical power meter.
The fees stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, inside of a civil court subject, is searching for to Get better more than R2.5-million in unpaid lease, fascination, lawful expenses and harm to a rented building in Crete Street, in the industrial area of Wetton in Cape City.
The creating was Earlier the headquarters in the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) which is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s centuries-outdated minstrel society was supposedly functioning.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is experiencing prosecution for theft and fraud following gear paid for with Lottery funds was faraway from a Cape City making.
Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Business Crime Device on 16 Oct 2024 and advised to seem inside the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom on the day although the make a difference was not placed on the courtroom roll since the investigating officer did not provide the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket in January.
The felony fees stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's searching for to Get better about R2.5-million in unpaid hire, curiosity, lawful expenses and harm to a rented developing in Crete Street, in the economic location of Wetton in Cape City.
The building was Earlier the headquarters of your Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s hundreds of years-outdated minstrel society was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed a number of organizations owned by Stemmet, whom police have described as a medications substantial flier. Between the businesses Stemmet ran from your premises have been a hat manufacturing company and a nightclub. Stemmet has been arrested several situations for gun and drug-linked offences and served time for armed robbery during the eighties.
Based on an SMS despatched to Meuwese from the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court docket on thirty January 2025.
Despite the fact that Stemmet is yet for being offered with a charge sheet, attainable prices, consist of fraud, removal of equipment that had been attached from the Sheriff, and interfering using a City of Cape Town electricity meter, In accordance with an e mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the make any difference.
A grant of just about R13-million to ascertain the minstrel museum was Portion of over R64-million in Lottery funds allotted on the CTMCA in between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - more than R54.three-million - paid from the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economic many years, according to Nationwide Lotteries Fee (NLC) annual experiences.
Stemmet was appointed a director on the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued ตรวจ รางวัล as two of various directors from the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed to be a director in 2021.
According to Meuwese, the constructing was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed corporation of which Stemmet was one of the directors. The organization was deregistered by the businesses and Mental House Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting once-a-year reviews.
A new entity Together with the exact same name was subsequently registered as A non-public corporation, but with Stemmet no more a director, according to CIPC records. Rather, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were appointed as administrators.
To the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the next morning, the Crete Highway premises ended up cleared as well as the equipment was taken off, As outlined by an affidavit by Meuwese. The tools was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent within the Athlone industrial area, which housed various of Stemmet’s organizations along with a new “minstrel museum”, In keeping with a leaked investigative report commissioned because of the NLC. The investigator also photographed the equipment at the new premises.
On the other hand, the meant new museum site, such as the previous one particular in Wetton, was perfectly away from any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and visitors could not obtain it. There was no signage over the setting up indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s enterprises vacated the premises previously this yr following he fell unwell.
The funding to ascertain a museum was not the one lottery grant which the CTMCA gained. In 2021, the association was allotted R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC in the beginning refused to reveal who had been given Covid funding but last but not least relented less than media and parliamentary stress.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-gain entities linked to Stemmet and his spouse and children and his associates include things like R1.four-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Occasions Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, As outlined by NLC yearly studies. Stemmet is often a former director from the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is now a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, which can be registered on the CTMCA’s previous Crete Street places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and a further R635,000 in 2021/22 for any “craft, woodwork and design programme”. Having said that, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld following the NLC lifted questions on exceptional experiences linked to previously funding gained by the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding received from the CTMCA.
Also beneath investigation is often a R1-million payment because of the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently paid out R500,000 of this to lawyers performing in the acquisition of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted to be a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, an organization during which the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in direction of the purchase with the mansion. Zibsimanzi gained R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo just after Letwaba personally proposed that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s company.
GroundUp sent thoughts to Stemmet via SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.