“Pot” Stemmet faces costs in excess of theft of Lottery-funded equipment
“Pot” Stemmet faces costs in excess of theft of Lottery-funded equipment
Blog Article
Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed with the National Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned via the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution immediately after products paid out for with money from the Lottery was removed from a Cape City creating he rented.
Stemmet is to seem in courtroom in January.
In keeping with a prosecutor the felony prices could incorporate fraud, removal of apparatus that were connected by the Sheriff and interfering which has a City of Cape City electrical power meter.
The fees stem from a grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a civil courtroom matter, is in search of to recover above R2.5-million in unpaid lease, fascination, lawful costs and damage to a rented creating in Crete Street, in the commercial location of Wetton in Cape Town.
The setting up was Earlier the headquarters in the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and it is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s centuries-outdated minstrel culture was supposedly running.
Convicted prison Richard “Pot” Stemmet is going through prosecution for theft and fraud after products compensated for with Lottery funds was removed from a Cape Town creating.
Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Commercial Crime Device on sixteen Oct 2024 and explained to to look in the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court docket over the working day though the make any difference wasn't placed on the court roll as the investigating officer did not deliver the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom in January.
The criminal prices stem from a criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who's looking for to Get better in excess of R2.5-million in unpaid lease, desire, authorized prices and damage to a rented setting up in Crete Road, in the commercial space of Wetton in Cape Town.
The constructing was Beforehand the headquarters from the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s hundreds of years-aged minstrel society was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed several organizations owned by Stemmet, whom police have described as a medication large flier. Amongst the businesses Stemmet ran from the premises were a hat producing corporation plus a nightclub. Stemmet has become arrested numerous times for gun and drug-linked offences and served time for armed robbery during the 1980s.
According to an SMS sent to Meuwese via the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in courtroom on thirty January 2025.
Whilst Stemmet is but being introduced having a charge sheet, attainable rates, include fraud, removal of equipment that were hooked up via the Sheriff, and interfering with a Town of Cape City electric power meter, As outlined by 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 Element of in excess of R64-million in Lottery money allotted for the CTMCA in between 2003 and 2017, with the majority of The cash - in excess of R54.three-million - paid from the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 economic yrs, In accordance with 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 wife Zainonesa and daughter Raziah continued ผล หวย ลาว วัน นี้ as two of various directors with the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed like a director in 2021.
According to Meuwese, the constructing was leased to Stalph 164, a detailed Company of which Stemmet was among the directors. The corporate was deregistered by the businesses and Mental Property Fee (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing once-a-year experiences.
A brand new entity With all the very same name was subsequently registered as a private business, 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 night of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Highway premises had been 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 inside the Athlone industrial place, which housed a number of of Stemmet’s firms in addition to a new “minstrel museum”, Based on a leaked investigative report commissioned with the NLC. The investigator also photographed the devices at The brand new premises.
On the other hand, the intended new museum internet site, similar to the outdated one particular in Wetton, was effectively far from any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and site visitors couldn't entry it. There was no signage within the developing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s businesses vacated the premises previously this calendar year soon after he fell unwell.
The funding to ascertain a museum wasn't the only lottery grant the CTMCA gained. In 2021, the association was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC in the beginning refused to reveal who had acquired Covid funding but at last relented under media and parliamentary strain.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-income entities connected to Stemmet and his spouse and children and his associates include R1.four-million with the Cape Cultural Carnival and Situations Committee in 2019/twenty, and an additional R500,000 in 2021/22, In accordance with NLC annual reports. Stemmet is a previous director in the committee and his spouse, Zainonesa, is at this time a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which is registered for the CTMCA’s former Crete Street places of work, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/20, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 for any “craft, woodwork and design programme”. Even so, it seems that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC raised questions about remarkable reports linked to previously funding gained because of the CTMCA.
GroundUp has verified the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained because of the CTMCA.
Also less than investigation is usually a R1-million payment via the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently paid out R500,000 of this to legal professionals acting in the purchase of the R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted as a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, an organization by which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, toward the purchase with the mansion. Zibsimanzi obtained R4.eight-million to phase a rural soccer tournament in Limpopo just after Letwaba personally advisable which the grant be paid to his wife’s corporation.
GroundUp despatched questions to Stemmet through SMS but he had not replied by the point of publication.