“Pot” Stemmet faces charges more than theft of Lottery-funded devices
“Pot” Stemmet faces charges more than theft of Lottery-funded devices
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, still left, and an investigator appointed with the National Lotteries Fee to investigate the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photo from an investigative report commissioned through the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution following tools paid out for with money with the Lottery was faraway from a Cape City setting up he rented.
Stemmet is to look in court docket in January.
Based on a prosecutor the legal fees could include things like fraud, elimination of equipment that had been attached because of the Sheriff and interfering using a Town of Cape City electric power meter.
The fees stem from the complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a very civil court docket matter, is trying to find to Get better around R2.five-million in unpaid hire, desire, lawful costs and harm to a rented building in Crete Highway, in the economic place of Wetton in Cape City.
The constructing was Formerly the headquarters in the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and it is exactly where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s hundreds of years-aged minstrel tradition was supposedly operating.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud just after tools compensated for with Lottery funds was removed from a Cape Town setting up.
Stemmet was arrested from the Specialised Industrial Criminal offense Device on sixteen Oct 2024 and explained to to appear within the Wynberg Magistrate’s Courtroom on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court within the day although the make any difference wasn't placed on the court roll because the investigating officer didn't 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, that is in search of to Recuperate more than R2.five-million in unpaid rent, fascination, legal prices and damage to a rented setting up in Crete Road, in the economic region of Wetton in Cape City.
The developing was Earlier the headquarters of the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA). This is when a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s centuries-previous minstrel lifestyle was supposedly functioning.
The premises also housed a number of corporations owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a medicines significant flier. Among the the companies Stemmet ran from the premises were a hat producing enterprise and a nightclub. Stemmet has been arrested several situations for gun and drug-linked offences and served time for armed robbery in the nineteen eighties.
In accordance with an SMS despatched to Meuwese with the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in court on thirty January 2025.
Although Stemmet is nevertheless to become offered that has a demand sheet, achievable prices, include fraud, removal of equipment that had been attached through the Sheriff, and interfering by using a Metropolis of Cape Town electrical power meter, As outlined by an e mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor handling the matter.
A grant of just about R13-million to determine the minstrel museum was Component of in excess of R64-million in Lottery money allotted on the CTMCA among 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of the money - over R54.3-million - compensated while in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 monetary yrs, In accordance with Countrywide Lotteries Commission (NLC) yearly experiences.
Stemmet was appointed a director on the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing ตรวจ หวย รัฐบาล as two of a number of administrators in the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as a director in 2021.
As outlined by Meuwese, the developing was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth Company of which Stemmet was certainly one of the directors. The corporation was deregistered by the Companies and Mental Home Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in distributing yearly experiences.
A brand new entity Together with the exact identify was subsequently registered as A personal company, but with Stemmet now not a director, Based on CIPC records. Rather, a family member, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk were appointed as administrators.
About the evening of twelve April 2021 and into the next early morning, the Crete Street premises had been cleared and the machinery was eliminated, according to an affidavit by Meuwese. The equipment was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent in the Athlone industrial space, which housed numerous of Stemmet’s businesses plus a new “minstrel museum”, according to a leaked investigative report commissioned through the NLC. The investigator also photographed the devices at The brand new premises.
Nevertheless, the supposed new museum web site, much like the outdated one particular in Wetton, was very well faraway from any of Cape Town’s tourist routes and people couldn't access it. There was no signage on the developing indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s organizations vacated the premises earlier this calendar year just after he fell sick.
The funding to establish a museum wasn't the only lottery grant which the CTMCA obtained. In 2021, the Affiliation was allocated R100,000 and R1.five-million in Covid relief grants. The NLC to begin with refused to reveal who had received Covid funding but at last relented beneath media and parliamentary pressure.
Other lottery grants allocated to non-financial gain entities linked to Stemmet and his household and his associates consist of R1.4-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Situations Committee in 2019/twenty, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC annual reviews. Stemmet can be a former director on the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is presently a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Affiliation, which is registered at the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road workplaces, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/20, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 for the “craft, woodwork and style programme”. However, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC elevated questions on superb stories associated with previously funding been given from the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed the SIU is investigating the lottery funding been given from the CTMCA.
Also beneath investigation is a R1-million payment from the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which in turn compensated R500,000 of the to legal professionals acting in the purchase of the 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 firm in which the wife of previous NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, toward the purchase of your mansion. Zibsimanzi acquired R4.eight-million to stage a rural soccer Match in Limpopo right after Letwaba Individually advised which the grant be paid to his wife’s business.
GroundUp despatched thoughts to Stemmet through SMS but he had not replied by the point of publication.