“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, remaining, and an investigator appointed through the Nationwide Lotteries Commission to research the Lottery-funded minstrel museum: Photograph from an investigative report commissioned through the NLC
Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution immediately after gear paid out for with money from the Lottery was removed from a Cape Town making he rented.
Stemmet is to appear in courtroom in January.
According to a prosecutor the legal prices could contain fraud, elimination of kit that were connected by the Sheriff and interfering by using a Metropolis of Cape City electricity meter.
The charges stem from the criticism laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, who, in a civil court docket matter, is looking for to recover around R2.5-million in unpaid rent, desire, authorized charges and damage to a rented setting up in Crete Street, in the economic place of Wetton in Cape Town.
The making was previously the headquarters of the Cape City Minstrel Carnival Affiliation (CTMCA) and is also wherever a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating the town’s hundreds of years-aged minstrel society was supposedly operating.
Convicted legal Richard “Pot” Stemmet is facing prosecution for theft and fraud right after gear paid for with Lottery funds was faraway from a Cape Town making.
Stemmet was arrested via the Specialised Business Criminal offense Unit on 16 Oct 2024 and advised to look inside the Wynberg Magistrate’s Court docket on 21 November.
GroundUp attended court to the working day nevertheless the make any difference wasn't placed on the court docket roll as the investigating officer didn't produce the docket to prosecutors. Stemmet has now been summonsed to appear in court in January.
The felony prices stem from the grievance laid by Stemmet’s landlord, Sean Meuwese, that is trying to get to recover in excess of R2.five-million in unpaid lease, fascination, authorized expenditures and harm to a rented developing in Crete Highway, in the commercial spot of Wetton in Cape Town.
The constructing was previously the headquarters with the Cape Town Minstrel Carnival Association (CTMCA). This is where a non-existent, Lottery-funded museum celebrating town’s generations-outdated minstrel culture was supposedly working.
The premises also housed quite a few enterprises owned by Stemmet, whom police have referred to as a prescription drugs large flier. Among the the businesses Stemmet ran in the premises had been a hat manufacturing organization along with a nightclub. Stemmet is arrested a number of times for gun and drug-linked offences and served time for armed robbery from the 1980s.
Based on an SMS despatched to Meuwese by the investigating officer, Stemmet has now been summonsed to seem in court docket on thirty January 2025.
Though Stemmet is still to become offered that has a demand sheet, feasible expenses, include things like fraud, removing of kit that were connected because of the Sheriff, and interfering which has a Town of Cape City electric power meter, As outlined by an e mail sent to Meuwese by a senior prosecutor managing the make any difference.
A grant of virtually R13-million to establish the minstrel museum was part of more than R64-million in Lottery cash allocated to your CTMCA amongst 2003 and 2017, with the majority of the money - about R54.3-million - paid out in the 2012/2013, 2013/2014 and 2014/2015 fiscal years, In line with Countrywide Lotteries Fee (NLC) annual studies.
Stemmet was appointed a director with the CTMCA in September 1996 but resigned in December 2016. His spouse Zainonesa and daughter Raziah ongoing หวย as two of many administrators on the organisation. Stemmet was reappointed as a director in 2021.
In line with Meuwese, the building was leased to Stalph 164, an in depth corporation of which Stemmet was amongst the directors. The organization was deregistered by the Companies and Intellectual House Commission (CIPC) in March 2023 for non-compliance in submitting yearly studies.
A completely new entity With all the very same title was subsequently registered as A non-public organization, but with Stemmet not a director, Based on CIPC records. Instead, a loved one, Ra’ees Stemmet, and Alfonzo van Niekerk have been appointed as administrators.
To the evening of 12 April 2021 and into the subsequent morning, the Crete Highway premises had been cleared as well as machinery was taken off, Based on an affidavit by Meuwese. The devices was moved to new premises rented by Stemmet in Mymoena Crescent within the Athlone industrial spot, which housed quite a few of Stemmet’s companies plus a new “minstrel museum”, In keeping with a leaked investigative report commissioned by the NLC. The investigator also photographed the gear at the new premises.
Nevertheless, the supposed new museum web page, like the aged just one in Wetton, was very well from any of Cape City’s vacationer routes and guests couldn't entry it. There was no signage within the building indicating that it housed a museum.
Stemmet’s corporations vacated the premises earlier this 12 months following he fell sick.
The funding to determine a museum was not the sole lottery grant which the CTMCA received. 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 received Covid funding but last but not least relented underneath media and parliamentary tension.
Other lottery grants allotted to non-gain entities associated with Stemmet and his family and his associates include R1.four-million for that Cape Cultural Carnival and Gatherings Committee in 2019/20, and a further R500,000 in 2021/22, according to NLC once-a-year studies. Stemmet is actually a previous director with the committee and his wife, Zainonesa, is now a director.
And, the Peninsula and District Carnival Association, which is registered with the CTMCA’s previous Crete Road workplaces, was allotted R190,000 in 2019/20, and an additional R635,000 in 2021/22 for just a “craft, woodwork and design and style programme”. Having said that, it appears that the 2021/22 payment was withheld after the NLC raised questions about fantastic stories related to earlier funding received from the CTMCA.
GroundUp has confirmed which the SIU is investigating the lottery funding received by the CTMCA.
Also less than investigation is usually a R1-million payment via the CTMCA to MDU Consulting Engineers, which consequently paid 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 like a conduit for an extra R3-m payment by Zibsimanzi, a firm during which the spouse of former NLC COO Phillemon Letwaba was a director, to the purchase with the mansion. Zibsimanzi received R4.8-million to phase a rural soccer Event in Limpopo right after Letwaba Individually recommended that the grant be paid out to his wife’s enterprise.
GroundUp despatched concerns to Stemmet through SMS but he had not replied by the time of publication.