“Pot” Stemmet faces costs in excess of theft of Lottery-funded products
“Pot” Stemmet faces costs in excess of theft of Lottery-funded products
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Richard “Pot” Stemmet, remaining, and an investigator appointed through the Countrywide Lotteries Fee to analyze the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Image from an investigative report commissioned by the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is dealing with prosecution just after machines paid out for with money from your Lottery was faraway from a Cape Town creating he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in court docket in January.
In accordance with a prosecutor the criminal prices could contain fraud, removing of equipment that had been connected via the Sheriff and interfering using a Metropolis of Cape City electricity meter.
The charges stem from a complaint laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in the civil court docket make any difference, is searching for to Recuperate in excess of R2.5-million in unpaid rent, interest, lawful prices and harm to a rented making in Crete Street, in the commercial region of Wetton in Cape City.
The making was Formerly the headquarters from the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA) and is particularly the place a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s hundreds of years-old minstrel lifestyle was supposedly operating.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud immediately after gear paid out for with Lottery cash was faraway from a Cape City building.
Stemmet was arrested with the Specialised Professional Criminal offense Device on sixteen Oct 2024 and explained to to look within the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court around the day however the make a difference was not put on the courtroom roll because the investigating officer didn't supply the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court docket in January.
The felony expenses stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who is trying to get to Get well more than R2.5-million in unpaid rent, curiosity, legal prices and damage to a rented setting up in Crete Highway, in the commercial area of Wetton in Cape City.
The setting up was Beforehand the headquarters in the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the city’s generations-outdated minstrel tradition was supposedly operating.
The premises also housed several companies owned by Stemmet, whom law enforcement have called a prescription drugs significant flier. Amongst the companies Stemmet ran through the premises were a hat manufacturing corporation along with a nightclub. Stemmet has been arrested many times for gun and drug-connected offences and served time for armed robbery during the 1980s.
As outlined by an SMS despatched to Meuwese via the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to look in courtroom on thirty January 2025.
Even though Stemmet is but to become presented which has a cost sheet, achievable costs, consist of fraud, elimination of kit that had been hooked up via the Sheriff, and interfering with a Metropolis of Cape City electric power meter, In keeping with an e-mail despatched to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the subject.
A grant of almost R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was Section of much more than R64-million in Lottery funds allotted for the CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017, with the bulk of the money - in excess of R54.3-million - paid inside the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 money several years, In line with National Lotteries Fee (NLC) once-a-year studies.
Stemmet was appointed a director from the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing หวย หุ้น ช่อง 9 วัน นี้ as two of several administrators with the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed being a director in 2021.
In keeping with Meuwese, the making was leased to Stalph 164, a close Company of which Stemmet was one among the directors. The corporate was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in publishing annual experiences.
A different entity Together with the same title was subsequently registered as A non-public company, but with Stemmet no longer a director, As outlined by CIPC documents. Rather, a member of the family, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk have been appointed as directors.
Over the night of 12 April 2021 and into the following early morning, the Crete Road premises were cleared as well as the equipment was eradicated, Based on an affidavit by Meuwese. The machines was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent from the Athlone industrial location, which housed several of Stemmet’s enterprises plus a new “minstrel museum”, according to a leaked investigative report commissioned with the NLC. The investigator also photographed the machines at the new premises.
On the other hand, the supposed new museum web site, like the previous one particular in Wetton, was perfectly clear of any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and visitors couldn't access it. There was no signage within the creating indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s corporations vacated the premises previously this yr following he fell ill.
The funding to determine a museum was not the only real lottery grant the CTMCA obtained. In 2021, the association was allocated R100,000 and R1.5-million in Covid reduction grants. The NLC originally refused to expose who had received Covid funding but at last relented beneath media and parliamentary stress.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-profit entities connected to Stemmet and his family and his associates incorporate R1.four-million with the Cape Cultural Carnival and Gatherings Committee in 2019/twenty, and an extra R500,000 in 2021/22, Based on NLC annual studies. Stemmet is often a previous director with the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is at the moment a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which can be registered on the CTMCA’s previous Crete Street offices, was allocated R190,000 in 2019/twenty, and an extra R635,000 in 2021/22 for your “craft, woodwork and style and design programme”. On the other hand, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld once the NLC raised questions about exceptional experiences connected with before funding gained from the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed the SIU is investigating the lottery funding gained because of the CTMCA.
Also under investigation is actually a R1-million payment via the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which subsequently compensated R500,000 of the to attorneys performing in the acquisition of a R27-million mansion for former NLC Board chairperson Alfred Nevhutanda.
MDU also acted as being a conduit for an additional R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a business where the wife of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, in the direction of the purchase of your mansion. Zibsimanzi been given R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer Match in Limpopo following Letwaba Individually advisable that the grant be paid out to his spouse’s firm.
GroundUp despatched concerns to Stemmet by means of SMS but he experienced not replied by the point of publication.