“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, still left, and an investigator appointed through the Countrywide Lotteries Commission to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned with the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution right after products paid out for with funds in the Lottery was removed from a Cape City constructing he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court docket in January.
In keeping with a prosecutor the legal costs could include fraud, elimination of kit that had been connected from the Sheriff and interfering that has a Town of Cape Town electric power meter.
The fees stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a very civil court docket matter, is searching for to Get well about R2.five-million in unpaid lease, curiosity, legal fees and damage to a rented developing in Crete Road, in the industrial area of Wetton in Cape City.
The making was Formerly the headquarters of your Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is also where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-outdated minstrel culture was supposedly functioning.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud just after machines compensated for with Lottery money was faraway from a Cape Town developing.
Stemmet was arrested from the Specialised Professional Crime Unit on 16 Oct 2024 and advised to appear while in the Wynberg Justice of the peace’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended courtroom around the working day nevertheless the matter wasn't placed on the court roll because the investigating officer did not deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court docket in January.
The prison costs stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is in search of to Get well over R2.5-million in unpaid rent, interest, lawful costs and harm to a rented setting up in Crete Road, in the economic location of Wetton in Cape Town.
The constructing was previously the headquarters of the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s generations-old minstrel tradition was supposedly running.
The premises also housed a number of corporations owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have described as a medications superior flier. Amongst the businesses Stemmet ran with the premises were a hat manufacturing corporation plus a nightclub. Stemmet has actually been arrested several instances for gun and drug-similar offences and served time for armed theft during the nineteen eighties.
According to an SMS despatched to Meuwese because of the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court on 30 January 2025.
Though Stemmet is yet being introduced by using a demand sheet, feasible rates, incorporate fraud, removing of equipment that had been attached through the Sheriff, and interfering that has a Town 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 A part of more than R64-million in Lottery resources allocated to the CTMCA between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - around R54.3-million - compensated while in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 monetary yrs, In accordance with Countrywide Lotteries Fee (NLC) annual studies.
Stemmet was appointed a director of the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued ตรวจ สลากกินแบ่ง รัฐบาล as two of several administrators from 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 business was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Assets Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing annual reviews.
A different entity with the exact same name was subsequently registered as a private organization, but with Stemmet not a director, In accordance with CIPC information. As an alternative, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk had been appointed as administrators.
Within the night of twelve April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Highway premises were cleared along with the equipment was removed, In line with an affidavit by Meuwese. The machines was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent inside the Athlone industrial spot, which housed various of Stemmet’s enterprises along with a new “minstrel museum”, In accordance with a leaked investigative report commissioned through the NLC. The investigator also photographed the tools at the new premises.
However, the meant new museum internet site, much like the old one in Wetton, was very well from any of Cape City’s tourist routes and visitors could not obtain it. There was no signage about the creating indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s businesses vacated the premises previously this 12 months following he fell sick.
The funding to ascertain a museum wasn't the only real lottery grant that the CTMCA obtained. In 2021, the association was allocated R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid aid grants. The NLC in the beginning refused to reveal who had obtained Covid funding but last but not least relented underneath media and parliamentary force.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-income entities connected to Stemmet and his household and his associates incorporate R1.4-million for the Cape Cultural Carnival and Events Committee in 2019/twenty, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, In accordance with NLC annual stories. Stemmet is actually a previous director on the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at the moment a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, that's registered at the CTMCA’s former Crete Street places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/20, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for your “craft, woodwork and style programme”. On the other hand, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC lifted questions on outstanding reviews connected with previously funding acquired because of the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed the SIU is investigating the lottery funding obtained through the CTMCA.
Also below investigation is really a R1-million payment by the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently paid out R500,000 of the to attorneys acting in the acquisition of a R27-million mansion for previous NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted as being a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a business by which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, toward the acquisition in the mansion. Zibsimanzi been given R4.8-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo after Letwaba personally advisable which the grant be compensated to his spouse’s business.
GroundUp sent queries to Stemmet by means of SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.